Balochistan Private Schools Threaten Contempt Plea Over Fee Ban
Private schools in Balochistan have warned of a contempt of court petition after the Quetta administration restricted them from collecting three months’ school fees at a time.
The Balochistan Private Schools Associations Alliance called on the Deputy Commissioner Quetta (West) to immediately clarify the legal basis for the restriction. At a Tuesday press conference, alliance leaders said they would move the court if the matter was not resolved.
What the administration ordered
At a Khuli Kutcheri (open court) in Kuchlak, the DC Quetta (West) had verbally announced that private schools could not collect three months’ fees at once, warning that non-compliance could lead to cancellation of registration and closure of institutions.
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 argued that judgment related to Covid-19 pandemic circumstances, and urged the authorities to review the original text before imposing blanket restrictions under it.
The schools’ case
Alliance President Malik Rasheed Kakar, General Secretary Mohammad Nawaz Pandrani and spokesperson Haji Salim Nasir said their aim was not to confront officials but to protect private institutions’ rights, clarify administrative authority and establish a transparent, uniform fee policy across the province.
They said more than 3,500 schools operate across Balochistan, educating over 900,000 students and employing thousands of teachers. They added that 475 private schools closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, shifting the burden to the institutions that survived.
The alliance leaders said they were not looking for a confrontation. Their demands were a clear written order with the correct legal basis, a fresh review of the original Supreme Court text before it is applied to new situations, and a uniform, transparent fee policy worked out in consultation with school bodies rather than announced verbally at open courts.
Courts have weighed in before
The dispute echoes earlier court battles over school fees. The Sindh High Court has previously barred private schools from collecting lump-sum summer fees, and the fee question has repeatedly landed in the courts since the pandemic-era rulings the Quetta administration is now citing.
This is not the administration’s first move on the issue. DC West Munir Ahmed Durrani has separately issued a formal notification banning private schools from collecting fees for winter vacations, in line with a Balochistan High Court ruling. Schools found charging vacation fees face cancellation of registration and sealing of their premises, and parents have been asked to report violations to his office or the education department.
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Frequently asked questions
What did the Quetta administration order?
Private schools were verbally told they could not collect three months’ fees at once, with warnings of registration cancellation and closure for non-compliance.
Why do schools object?
They say the October 9 letter misreads a Supreme Court ruling that concerned fees during winter vacations in Covid-19 circumstances, and want the legal basis clarified.
What are they threatening?
A contempt of court petition if the administration does not resolve the matter.
How many schools are affected?
Over 3,500 private schools across Balochistan, educating more than 900,000 students.
