Sindh education authorities have issued notices to all three campuses of a private school in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi, over allegations of charging unapproved tuition and annual fees and failing to provide mandatory concessions to eligible students.
The Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions, Sindh, ordered the school to stop collecting the disputed charges and refund the allegedly unlawful amounts to parents within 15 days.
Parents Filed Complaints Against School
According to a notice signed by Additional Director of Registration Prof. Rafia Mallah, the action followed repeated complaints from parents regarding excessive tuition fees and annual charges.
The school was accused of collecting tuition fees above the amount approved by the registration authority.
It also allegedly charged annual fees contrary to applicable regulations.
School Accused of Denying Mandatory Fee Concessions
The Directorate said the school had failed to provide fee concessions to at least 10% of its enrolled students, as required under the relevant rules.
The school management has now been directed to provide the required fee waivers to eligible students.
Refund Ordered Within 15 Days
The Directorate instructed the management to:
- Immediately stop collecting unapproved fees
- Refund unlawfully collected amounts to parents within 15 days
- Provide mandatory concessions to eligible students
- Comply with the approved tuition-fee structure
The notice did not specify the total amount that the school may be required to refund.
School Faces Possible Registration Cancellation
Authorities warned that failure to comply with the directives could result in legal action under Section 8 of the Sindh Private Educational Institutions regulatory framework.
Possible action may include the suspension or cancellation of the registration certificates of the school’s campuses.
Official records show that Section 8 has previously been used by Sindh education authorities in proceedings involving private-school fee disputes.
Previous Notices Produced No Satisfactory Response
Officials said show-cause notices had previously been issued to the school over the alleged fee violations.
However, the management reportedly failed to provide a satisfactory response and was later summoned for a formal hearing.
During the hearing, the school was reportedly unable to justify the additional tuition and annual charges or present supporting documentary evidence.
The Directorate subsequently initiated disciplinary proceedings against the institution.
Sindh’s private-school regulations require institutions to obtain approval for their fee structures, while courts have previously upheld restrictions on unauthorized annual tuition-fee increases.
