Discriminatory decision?: PHC refuses students to appear in matric exam

Petition filed by Fauji Foundation Schools rejected.

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has refused to review its orders to allow students from Fauji Foundation Schools (FFS) to appear in matriculation exams.

The order comes despite a similar appeal by the Beaconhouse School System being accepted.

The PHC had issued orders to cancel the registrations of all those schools failing to enforce the sibling concession policy, according to which only the first child studying at a school is entitled to pay full fee, while siblings pay half fee.

Although the decision was challenged in 2011 by a number of schools, including Beaconhouse, it was rejected. However on October 7, the PHC accepted Advocate Athar Minallah’s request and gave permission only to Beaconhouse students to appear in matriculation exam.

Attorney for the FFS school in Nowshera, Farman Ali Khattak, asked the PHC division bench comprising Chief Justice PHC Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth why FFS students were not allowed to give the exam.

Khattak said the school already offered a 50% fee concession to all students and that students of the same family are charged 25% of the fee. He also presented the records of the school before the court.

The bench turned down Khattak’s request by saying the record was incomplete and that they needed to see fee receipts. The bench then adjourned the case, despite Khattak arguing that the future of around 50 students was at stake.

In February 2011, the PHC, citing Article 106 of Chapter-IV of the Education Code, directed all private educational institutions across the province to grant fee concession to students from the same family.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2012.