Islamabad-The Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) once again restraining Private Educational Institutions (PEI’s) from collecting summer vacations fee has declared the institutions’ demand in violation of court orders here on Monday.
The PEIRA though earlier remained reluctant in clearing its position to parents after the decision of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Divisional Bench (DB) order, later issued an order to all PEI’s restraining them from collecting fee and coercing them to follow the decision of Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued on May 18.
The notice issued said that the receipt of summer vacations fee by PEI’s of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) is in violation of the court order dated 18th May 2018. The notice stated that in pursuance of IHC order dated 18th May 2018, the owners and management of PEI’s functioning within the territorial jurisdiction of ICT were directed, through a Public Notice in leading National Daily newspapers dated 20th may, 2018, to restrain from receiving monthly tuition fee and other charges for summer vacations for the period from 1st June to 12th August, 2018.
The order added that in the light of said court order, institutions were further directed that amount of fee already paid by the parents and guardians of students (if any) shall be adjusted against fee for the period after summer vacations.
The notification stated that it has come to the notice of this authority that some private educational institutions violated instructions and sent a circular and SMS messages to the parents with the direction to deposit summer vacations fee on the basis of false premise that a stay order has been granted by the division bench of honourable Islamabad High Court against the order dated 18th May, 2018.
This act of such private educational institutions also resulted in fake news reports in various media scribes dated May 31st 2018 that tantamount to abuse of the due process of law and needs to be deprecated.
“All private educational institutions are hereby once again directed to comply with the Court Order dated 18th May, 2018 in true letter and spirit,” stated the order.
The notice further said that institutions are further directed to withdraw communication (if any) made to the parents for depositing summer vacations fee, in the same manner as it was conveyed to the parents, with immediate effect and under intimation of the office of the authority.
“You are requested to kindly clear the dues of Jun-July 2018 to obtain your child’s result. The due date has been extended till 4th June, enabling you to pay the fee without any fine being levied. For your convenience, the challan issued to you earlier can be used to pay the fee,” some the institutions had circulated such messages to parents directing them to submit summer vacations fee.
The IHC DB decision and later the remarks of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) had spread confusion regarding submission of summer vacations fee and they sought the guidance of PEIRA.
The associations representing parents and the PEI’s both came out with different interpretations of the IHC DB order.
President Private Schools Association (PSA) Zafran Elahi had claimed that the schools asking for the summer vacations fee were following the latest IHC DB order which had given the stay on the decision of IHC single bench order.
However, representative parents association Hamid had claimed that the decision of IHC DB had not annulled the single bench order.
