KARACHI-Additional Advocate General (AAG) Sindh Shabir Shah on Wednesday said that after the dismissal of all the petitions by the Sindh High Court, now all the private schools had been bound to give 20 percent fee concession to the students as per the decision of the Sindh Cabinet.
He said this after the Sindh High Court dismissed the petitions filed by the private school associations against the Sindh Government’s directives to give 20 percent concession in school fee to all the students, said a statement on Wednesday. The AAG Shabbir Shah represented the Sindh Government in the case. The AAG Sindh apprised the court that the Sindh Cabinet after approving an ordinance regarding concession in school fee had sent the same to Governor Sindh.
He said that after the approval of changes in the rules by the Sindh Cabinet, all private schools had been bound to give 20 percent concession in their school fee for the months of April and May 2020. Shabbir Shah further said that action would be taken against those schools which would not give concession in school fee after the changes made in the rules by the Sindh Cabinet. The decision would apply equally to all private schools in Sindh Province, he added.
It may be recalled that due to the sudden spread of the coronavirus in the province, the Sindh government in one of its decisions had closed all the educational institutions including the schools till May 31, after which the parents began to put pressure on the government to at least reduce the school fee for the months during which the schools were closed.
The Sindh High Court earlier had suspended the directives issued by the Directorate of Private Institutions of Directorate of provincial Education Department to private educational institutions with regard to a mandatory concession of 20 percent in tuition fee of April and May in the wake of the coronavirus after it was challenged education institutions citing that the respondent has no authority to issue such directives.
However, the Sindh Cabinet in its April 27 meeting formally approved a 20 percent mandatory concession in school fees for the months of April and May, after which the ordinance was sent to the Sindh Governor and on Wednesday Additional Advocate General Sindh Shabir Shah informed the Sindh High Court about the decision of the Cabinet in detail.
Following the dismissal of all petitions in the Sindh High Court, the Sindh Government on Wednesday issued a new notification stating that all private schools would have to give a 20 percent concession in school fee for the months of April and May, 2020.