The Islamabad High Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed against the 20% reduction in private schools fees and referred the matter back to the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PIERA).
During these pressing times, many are asking private schools to reduce their fees. There won’t be an issue if schools don’t profit for two months, said IHC’s Justice Amir Farooq during the hearing of the case.
Private schools defend their case
The petitioner’s lawyer said that the PIERA had issued a notification on April 8, directing private schools to slash the fees for April and May by 20%, without taking stakeholders into confidence. PIERA’s notification should be declared null and void, he argued.
Islamabad High Court gives verdict
The IHC judge said that if a review was made on the petition then the schools will have to either reduce fee by 50% or 15%. “These are uncertain times […] Did you approach the government before coming to the court”, he added.
Earlier in the week, parents in Islamabad complained against the callous approach of private school administrations demanding 2-3 months’ advance fee even in the lockdown situation. Punjab and Sindh governments have also directed private schools to reduce their fee by 20% in the wake of the pandemic and ordered them to pay the salaries of their employees as well.