Barring the cantonment boards across the country from sealing private schools, the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday sought replies from the Boards’ heads on the next date of the hearing, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

During the hearing of petitions filed against the closure of private schools in the country’s cantonments, Qalbe Hassan Shah, counsel for these schools, said there were 8, 300 schools in the cantonments in which 3.7 million students were enrolled. “Now when these schools are being sealed, the question is where will the children studying in them go?” he said, and argued that the apex court had not listened to the private schools’ owners’ point of view prior to giving its previous decision.   

Hamid Khan, representing the students’ parents in the case, said the real bone of contention was building schools on residential plots. 

The court then adjourned the hearing of the case for an indefinite time period. 

In the light of directives given by the Supreme Court (SC) to put an end to commercial activities in the country’s cantonments, the Cantonment Boards had on September 14, 2021 ordered the owners of over 30, 000 private schools to shut down their institutions by September 30.

And later, on December 15, 2021, the SC had set December 31, 2021 deadline to close 30,000 private schools in all 42 cantonments across the country.

There are 700 registered high schools in Cantonment Board and Walton Board in Lahore that have also been given Dec 31 deadline and overall 1170 schools will be closed in Lahore Cantonment Board.

Reporter Amanat Gishkori