THE Peshawar High Court (PHC) announced a historic verdict in December last year, barring private schools of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) from taking admission and capitation fees, annual charges or any other additional charges under different heads. The court’s order provided much-needed relief to the parents, as it bound school administrations to charge tuition fees only.

However, the court’s verdict is not being implemented. The admission season is in full swing in many parts of KP and the schools are charging all sorts of fee under the heads mentioned above which is in open violation of the verdict and should therefore be charged with contempt of court.

Besides, students are being forced to buy course books, notebooks and stationery from their own schools. The people running these schools are emboldened because most parents are unaware of the PHC’s decision.

The KP government should direct the deputy commissioners of all districts to strictly enforce the high court’s order and also share the verdict from their official social media accounts to raise public awareness about the court’s decision.

Syed Badshah
Buner

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2022