ISLAMABAD: A number of city’s private schools management ridiculing Islamabad High Court (IHC)’s recent verdict directing them not to charge summer vacation fee, have issued fee notifications for the conflicting period.

A large number of parents on Thursday vowing to fight back complained that they were allegedly being threatened by school management to impose heavy fines and even expulsion of children if fee for the months of June and July were not paid as per given schedule.

Ishrat Hussain, whose two siblings are enrolled in a city’s famous school system, said in a smart move earlier the school administration had demanded two months fee without mentioning period but on parents complains they withdrew notifications.

Now again, turning deaf ear to the honourable court’s orders, they had issued fresh receipts asking parents to deposit money for the months in which summer vacation fall, he added.

Ali Raza, showing fee challan forms complained, “My three siblings are getting education in a private school who are going through annual exams which are scheduled to be concluded today and I have been threatened to not to issue their results if fee is not paid by the due date.”

He said now he was in a fix either he had to follow the court orders or to pay school fee from his hard-earned money for the period having no educational activities for his kids.

Pivate Education Institution Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) chairman Hasnat Ahmed Qureshi said it had received a number of complaints from parents regarding different school managements asking to deposit fee or face the consequences, which was tantamount to the contempt of court.

He said five schools had been issued warnings to refrain demanding summer vacation fee and implement honourable court’s orders in letter and spirit otherwise strict action would be taken against them under PEIRA Act.

The IHC, in its court orders, announced on May 18, directed PEIRA that “all private educational institutions be restrained from receiving fee for the period of summer vacation till next date of hearing,(fixed for hearing on June 20). Amount of fee already paid by the parents / students shall be adjusted against fee for the period after vacation.”

It is pertinent to mention here that provinces’ all four high courts have already barred private schools to charge fee for summer vacation period that gain much public appreciation for court’s intervention to rein education mafia.