QUETTA: The Balochistan Private Schools Associations Alliance has called on the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Quetta, West, to immediately clarify the legal basis for restricting the collection of three months’ school fees at a time, warning that they would be compelled to file a contempt of court petition if the matter was not resolved.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Alliance President Malik Ras­h­eed Kakar, General Secretary Mohammad Nawaz Pandrani and spokesperson Haji Salim Nasir said their intention was not to confront government officials but to protect the legitimate rights of private educational institutions, clarify administrative authority and establish a transparent and uniform fee policy across the province.

They said that during a Khuli Kutcheri (open court) in Kuchlak, the DC Quetta, West, had verbally announced that private schools would not be allowed to collect three months’ fees at once. He had warned that non-compliance could result in the cancellation of school registrations and the closure of institutions, they added.

The alliance has sought the legal justification for the verbal directive, along with official guidelines governing the collection of school fees.

A letter issued by the DC Quetta West’s office on October 9 cited a Supreme Court ruling concerning fees during winter vacations. The alliance maintained that the judgement related to the exceptional circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic and urged the authorities to review the original text before imposing blanket restrictions under the ruling.

It said over 3,500 schools were operating across Balochistan, providing education to over 900,000 students and employment to thousands of teachers. They pointed out that 475 private schools had closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, placing an additional burden on the institutions.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2026