Private schools.

Byline: Nisar Ahmed - Karachi

A NUMBER of private schools in Karachi have once again started charging the summer vacation (June and July) fee in advance along with January and February fees.

Besides the regular monthly fee, they also demand the so-called 'annual charges' and threaten parents to pay it in a given period of time, otherwise their children will either not be allowed to sit the annual examinations or their examination results will be withheld.

This practice was stopped in September last year after court orders.

The Sindh chief secretary and the directorate of private educational institutions have recently announced the annual charges illegal. They argue that there was no provision for such a fee in the Sindh Private Education Institutions (Regulation and Control) Ordinance 2001 and (Amended) Act 2003 and Rules 2005.

However, schools managements continue to harass parents, forcing them to deposit the fee.

This is all despite fact that the Supreme Court and the Sindh High Court have directed schools not to...