Schools object to govt’s tuition fee concession

Claim waiver is unfair, not all parents are affected by pandemic

Representatives of schools and school associations filed a plea challenging the Sindh Coronavirus Emergency Relief Ordinance, 2020, for the mandatory concessions on tuition fees, according to a statement issued by the Education Services Association on Thursday.

The statement said that school administrations had challenged the grounds for the imposition of the ordinance, claiming that an emergency ordinance can only be implemented when the Sindh government declares an emergency in the province under Articles 232 and 233 of the Constitution.

It further called out the Sindh government for the directive itself by claiming that it is unfair to provide concessions to parents who have not suffered as a result of the pandemic and ensuing lockdown. It added that schools were willing to make a 20 per cent discount to parents directly affected by the pandemic.

In the petition, the representatives have also highlighted that with the implementation of such a policy thousands of low-cost schools are being forced to shut down, as they charge only nominal fees to begin with.

They further demanded that if the Sindh government intends on enforcing the 20 per cent concession on private schools, funds for this must be provided from the Rs240 billion budget allocated towards the provision of free education in the province.

The 'extraordinary' powers to impose fines upto Rs1 million and the ability to seal properties without hearings given to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah under the ordinance were also challenged.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2020.