KARACHI: The Sindh government on Wednesday suspended the registration of two elite private schools for allegedly failing to comply with court orders regarding fee hike.

The action was taken by the directorate of inspection/registration of private institutions, Sindh school education and literacy department, against 56 campuses of The City School and 65 branches of the Beaconhouse School System.

A notice sent to the two schools also states that if the schools implement court orders within seven days of the notice they would be allowed to open registration again. Failing to comply will result in the campuses of these schools being sealed.

However, both the schools said that the government order to suspend the registration of the schools held “no legal value”.

Beaconhouse and City schools say the govt order holds no legal value

Last month, the Sindh High Court had barred all private schools from raising their fees by more than five per cent and ordered them to accept dues as per the old fee structure. However, it emerged that The City School and Beaconhouse School System did not do this. Therefore the registration of 56 campuses of The City School and 65 of Beaconhouse has been suspended.

In identical letters dated Nov 14 to the two schools, the director general of private schools, Dr Mansoob Hussain Siddiqui, wrote: “The inspection committee comprising officers of the directorate of inspection/registration of private institutions, Sindh, Karachi visited your school on 14-11-2018 ...

“During the visit, the committee observed/found that you have failed to comply with the aforesaid orders passed by the High Court of Sindh and the Supreme Court of Pakistan in letter and spirit. You were even directed many times ... to comply with the orders passed by the High Court of Sindh in petitions ... as well as comply the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan ...

“In view of above as per Clause-8 (cancellation or suspension of certificate of registration) of The Sindh Private Educational Institutions (Regulation & Control) Ordinance 2001, Amendment Act and Rules-2005, registration of all campuses ... are hereby suspended till further orders.”

In response to the suspension of their registration, the two schools issued a joint statement on Wednesday evening, saying a widely circulated order by the directorate of inspection and literacy to suspend the registration of all Beaconhouse and City schools in Sindh “holds no legal value and is in violation of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and Sindh High Court’s orders”.

It said that the suspension order was aimed at jeopardising the education of tens of thousands of children as well as maligning the schools’ reputation.

Condemning what they called a discriminatory and unfortunate move, the statement said that the Supreme Court in its Oct 1 order directed that any fee increase in excess of 5pc over the previous year’s fee schedule was to be deposited with the SC registrar “within a period of three months”.

It said the time period was to expire on Dec 31, which gives all private schools of Sindh over a month and a half for implementation.

Maintaining that the suspension order was in direct violation of the SC directives since the time period for compliance had not yet expired, the two schools stated that they had every intention of honouring the court’s directives in the fullness of time.

“The management of Beaconhouse and City School can only therefore conclude that the said order was intended to malign their names and promote a negative sentiment amongst their parent bodies. Both institutions are law-abiding bodies and will be replying to the directorate as per their legal and constitutional right,” it added.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2018