The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday reserved its decision on maintainability of an intra-court appeal (ICA) filed by of private educational institutions (PEIs) against the court’s earlier order barring the institutions from receiving fee in summer vacations (June and July). Read Foundation schools through their counsel Sardar Muhammad Latif Khosa appealed before an IHC two-member divisional bench comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani to accept the petition against the single bench verdict issued by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on May 18. Sardar Khosa contended that refraining PEIs from receiving fee for summer vacations was illegal. He requested the court for consideration of detailed petition against the single bench verdict. While representing the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA), advocate Rashid Hanif said that an identical case was under review in the Supreme Court. He said that the apex court might take suo motu notice of the scthis issue. After hearing remarks from both parties, the IHC bench reserved the decision on maintainability of the appeal for an indefinite period of time. While hearing a public petition filed by a citizen, Jamshed Khan, on May 18, Justice Siddiqui had not barred PEIs from collecting fee for summer vacations, but also directed the private schools to adjust the fee already collected from the students for June and July when the schools would remain closed on account of the vacations. However, according to a letter issued by the PEIRA last week, a copy of which is available with by Daily Times, some schools were found violating the IHC’s earlier order, while charging fee for summer months (June and July). The letter stated that some parents had lodged complaints with the authority that they had been charged dues for summer vacations despite the court order. “Hence you (PEIs) are directed to return back fee collected in violation of IHC order, the letter said. ICT Advocate General Tariq Jahangiri, who was present in the court during the course of hearing on Wednesday, also appreciated the action taken by regulatory authority, saying that the institutions should work for “public welfare”. The PIERA also published a notice in which the body advised parents not to deposit the fee for summer vacations and advised parents to file complaints against respective institutions demanding fee from them. Also the Punjab government had earlier this year issued a similar notification barring private educational institutions from collecting fee for summer vacations and also published advertisements in different newspapers advising parents not to deposit fee for the said period. Published in Daily Times, June 7th 2018.