The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday ordered private schools to implement the fees structure fixed by the Sindh government, that restrained them from increasing the tuition fee by more than five per cent.

A larger bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, was hearing the contempt of court applications moved by parents of students over alleged non-implementation of court orders regarding the increase in annual tuition fees.

The SHC bench also sought a copy of the Supreme Court's order that called for a cut in the schools’ tuition fees by 20 per cent.

On September 3, the SHC had declared a more than five per cent increase in the tuition fees by private institutions as illegal and had ordered their management to refund the excess fee within three months.

The SHC had ruled that its order would apply to all students and private institutions and schools governed under the Sindh Private Educational Institutions Ordina­nce, 2001 and Sindh Private Educational Institutions Rules 2005.

The high court on December 3 also ordered private schools to restore the fee structure in place on September 20, 2017, and reimburse any fees they may have charged from parents in excess of it.

During Thursday's hearing, a lawyer representing Generation School submitted a revised fee challan and stated that his client had started the implementation of the court's order. Furthermore, the tuition fee for all classes was being revised, he added.

In response to the court's query about other charges aside from tuition fees, the lawyer expressed his lack of knowledge and asked the court for more time to submit a reply on this matter.

The lawyers for Beacon House School and the City School also submitted revised fees challans. They added that the data for all the campuses of the schools were included.

The parents of the different schools informed the bench that the private schools had been charging from Rs27000 to Rs34000 as tuition fees for each class.

In response, City School's lawyer denied the claim and said that these were only rumours.

The petitioners also stated that the private schools had failed to submit proper documentation that the court had asked for, and were misleading them.

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar inquired about the implementation on the court’s order regarding the fees structure. The private schools' counsels replied that proper documents were submitted before the court in this regard.

The bench observed that the private schools did not appear to be complying with the court's order. Justice Abbasi remarked that those private institutions which avoid the court's orders must be closed.

The court also directed that the SC's order regarding the private school be produced.

The apex court on December 13, ordered a 20 per cent decrease in fees charged by upscale private schools, and ordered them to return half the fees they had charged for summer vacations. The order was applicable to private schools across the country whose fees are in excess of Rs5,000.

The bench was informed today that the students who were not able to pay tuition and examination fees were not allowed to sit in exams after which the SHC directed the schools' managements to allow them to sit for exams.

The court also restrained the school management from harassing the students and directed the parents to pay tuition fees as per the revised fee structure.

City School’s lawyer informed the court that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials had taken the record of schools into their custody and pleaded the court to pass an order to return the documents.

The court adjourned hearing till January 14.