School fined for illegal fee vouchers

LAHORE : The District Registering Authority (DRA), Lahore, imposed a penalty on Crescent Model School on charges of issuing illegal fee vouchers and also directed the school administration to reimburse or readjust the overcharged fees.

According to the copy of order by DRA, which operates under the District Education Authority (DEA), one Aitsam Sarwar had filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court against the administration of the Crescent Model School, Shadman, on the plea “the admission fee or the security shall not exceed the amount equal to the tuition fee payable by the students for a month.”

Subsequently, on the directions of the Secretary Schools the DEA formed a probe committee which after examining the record found that the school administration had charged Rs 14,000 for re-admission which was excessive as permissible under Punjab Private Educational Institutions (Promotion and Regulation) ordinance 1984 and amended Act 2016 section 7-A(8). The probe committee also found that the school collected security fee amounting to Rs 16,800 twice from a student already studying in the same school which was again violation of the prescribed rules.

“Now therefore, in view of the above, on the recommendations of the District Registering Authority, Lahore, the administration of Crescent Model School, 352-Shadman Colony, Lahore, is hereby imposed the penalty of fine Rs: 20,000 per day for the period of 30 days with immediate effect under section 11 (I) of the Punjab Private Educational Institutions (Promotion & Regulation) Amendment Act 2016,” reads the order while also directing the school administration to reimburse/adjust the overcharged fees immediately.