Supreme Court of Pakistan halts cantonment boards to seal schools

The Supreme Court on Wednesday halted the closure of private educational institutions in 42 cantonment boards throughout the nation, and adjourned the hearing on a review case indefinitely.

A three-member Supreme Court panel led by Justice Ijazul Hassan was hearing a case challenging the cantonment boards' decision to close private schools and institutions.

Advocate Kalbe Hassan Shah, counsel for private education institutions, testified that more than 3.7 million children were enrolled in the 8,300 private schools located inside the 42 cantonment boards' boundaries, and that closing schools will have an impact on the children's education.

He claimed that in 2018, the apex courts issued a judgement without hearing the management of private schools.

The parents' lawyer, Advocate Hamid Khan, took a similar approach, claiming that the court made its decision without hearing from the schools or the parents.

The Supreme Court directed the 42 cantonment boards not to close private schools and universities and asked for their reply.

All privately owned education institutions functioning in cantonment boards' residential areas must be removed by December 31, 2021, according to a Supreme Court bench led by former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar.

In December, the cantonment boards began sealing schools in residential zones and issued final reminders to private educational institutions to depart the regions.

In the cantonment districts, however, school operators, instructors, families, and pupils launched protests against the sealing.