Sindh Education Dept directs private schools to return extra fees collected from April to July

KARACHI: Private schools have been directed to refund the illegal fees collected from April to July, and schools that violate the law will be heavily fined.

According to the details, the Sindh School Education Department has issued strict instructions to private educational institutions across the province, including Karachi, to immediately refund the illegal fees collected from matriculation students from April to July 2026.

The notification issued by the department said that the government had received several complaints that many private schools had also collected fees from matriculation students for the months in which the students participated in the board exams.

On this issue, some private schools had taken the stand that these fees were collected due to practical exams; however, the directorate completely rejected this explanation.

Officials say that the fees for practical exams are already part of the monthly fee, so collecting fees separately in this regard is completely illegal.

The statement further clarified that some schools are justifying the collection of fees till July 2026 by justifying the commencement of the academic year from August 2025, but this practice is in clear violation of the decisions of the Steering Committee.

The School Education Department has issued a warning that schools violating this order will not only be fined heavily, but their registration may also be suspended or cancelled, while their case will also be forwarded to the Education Board for final action.