Towards affordable education: SHC intervenes to solve school fees issue
The Generation's School management restrained from taking coercive action against students
The Generation's School management restrained from taking coercive action against students. PHOTO: PARENTS.GS
KARACHI:
The Sindh High Court (SHC) restrained on Friday a private school management from taking any coercive action against the students pertaining to the enhancement of monthly tuition fees till September 22.
A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, issued notices to the provincial advocate-general, the chief secretary, education and literacy secretary and The Generation's School administrator to file their comments by the next hearing.These directives came after the bench heard a petition, jointly filed by some students' parents, against the sudden increase in the fees by the school management.
One of the petitioners, whose children are currently studying at the school's North Nazimabad campus, said they belong to the middle class and are trying to provide the best possible education to their children.
Violation of laws
School managements have never increased the students' monthly tuition fee above the annual five per cent according to the Sindh Private Educational Institutional Ordinance 2001, said a petitioner. The amendment, Section 236-I, made to the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 in 2013 stated that educational institutional are required to collect advance tax from the parents, a petitioner claimed. The tax is adjustable against the tax liability of the parents, the petitioner added.
Such a raise in the fees is a violation of the Sindh Private Educational Institutions (Regulation and Control) Ordinance 2003 and Sindh Private Educational Institutions (Regulation and Control) Ordinance 2015, said the lawyer of the petitioners. "It is crystal clear in the Section 6 that fee structure shall be fixed with prior approval of government," he argued.
The fee structure for the pre-nursery for the private institutions was up by Rs5,000 per month, said another petitioner. It is extremely unfortunate that the noble profession of education has become a profit earning business, he added.
The school also charges separate charges in the name of field trips and other extra-curricular activities, a petitioner claimed. This is also a total violation of the constitution as well as the Sindh Private Institutions (Regulatory and Control) Ordinance 2001.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2015.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) restrained on Friday a private school management from taking any coercive action against the students pertaining to the enhancement of monthly tuition fees till September 22.
A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, issued notices to the provincial advocate-general, the chief secretary, education and literacy secretary and The Generation's School administrator to file their comments by the next hearing.These directives came after the bench heard a petition, jointly filed by some students' parents, against the sudden increase in the fees by the school management.
One of the petitioners, whose children are currently studying at the school's North Nazimabad campus, said they belong to the middle class and are trying to provide the best possible education to their children.
Violation of laws
School managements have never increased the students' monthly tuition fee above the annual five per cent according to the Sindh Private Educational Institutional Ordinance 2001, said a petitioner. The amendment, Section 236-I, made to the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 in 2013 stated that educational institutional are required to collect advance tax from the parents, a petitioner claimed. The tax is adjustable against the tax liability of the parents, the petitioner added.
Such a raise in the fees is a violation of the Sindh Private Educational Institutions (Regulation and Control) Ordinance 2003 and Sindh Private Educational Institutions (Regulation and Control) Ordinance 2015, said the lawyer of the petitioners. "It is crystal clear in the Section 6 that fee structure shall be fixed with prior approval of government," he argued.
The fee structure for the pre-nursery for the private institutions was up by Rs5,000 per month, said another petitioner. It is extremely unfortunate that the noble profession of education has become a profit earning business, he added.
The school also charges separate charges in the name of field trips and other extra-curricular activities, a petitioner claimed. This is also a total violation of the constitution as well as the Sindh Private Institutions (Regulatory and Control) Ordinance 2001.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2015.