SC orders all private schools to cut fee by 20 per cent

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered all private schools across Pakistan to cut their monthly fee by 20 per cent. A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar heard a suo motu case against tuition fee hikes by private schools. The report of auditor general relating to the private schools submitted in the court. The report revealed a total of Rs512m was spent on employees’ salaries in one year, while Rs5.2 billion was spent in five years, adding that various facilities were also provided. During the hearing, the chief justice asked form the woman director of private schools, “Are you taking Rs8.5 million salary?” The chief justice said, “You should have fear of God.” “If a person starts to torn the notes of rupees regularly, he cannot torn the notes amounting Rs8.5 million within a month,” the top judge remarked. Justice Nisar also inquired that have these schools bought uranium mines or gold mines? He observed that the private school owners only showed such a huge amount of salaries’ payment in the documents for justifying the deficit. CJ Nisar said that in such a way the owners have made more than 150 schools. The private schools lawyer said that the private schools profit is 6 per cent and ready to cut 8 per cent fees. To reply, Justice Ijazul Ahsan remarked that the audit report is being changed to hide the real profit. The bench also ordered FBR to probe income tax returns of the owners and directors of private schools. Justice Nisar summoned the FBR chairman and ordered the bureau to check the tax records of private schools from the past seven years. CJP directed all those schools who have received the winter vacations’ fees from students, to return 50 percent to parents or adjust the amount in the fees of upcoming months. The top court ordered all private schools across Pakistan to cut their monthly fee by 20 per cent The court adjourned the hearing till December 26.