IHC throws out plea against fee concession

Bench tells petitioner to approach PEIRA

ISLAMABAD: A petition filed by a private school against granting 20 per cent concession in its tuition fees for April and May was dismissed by a court on Monday, with the schools told to refer to the regulatory authority.

A single-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), comprising Justice Amir Farooq, directed heard the petition filed by a private school against the fees concession.

The court clarified to the petitioner that the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) is the proper platform to take up this issue, not the court.

Justice Farooq further ordered that the authority to decide the matter on merit after hearing the concerns of the private educational institution on granting concessions.

The court had previously also disposed of a petition filed by the Private Schools Association (PSA) on the same issue with similar directives.

Earlier this month, PIERA had directed the private schools in the federal capital to grant a concession of at least 20 per cent in their monthly tuition fees for April and May amid the lockdown situation. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2020.