PESHAWAR – The Peshawar High Court has asked the Board of Governors to review the Peshawar Public School merger and address the complaints raised by petitioners. The court directed the Board to reconsider the matter in the best interest of the institution.
The order came during the hearing of Writ Petition No. 6022-P/2023. The Welfare Association of the Boys Branch and other staff filed the petition through Advocate Nouman Muhib Kakakhel. They challenged the Board’s 25 September 2017 decision to merge the Boys and Girls branches of the school.
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Peshawar Public School & College, set up in 1979 under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government Educational and Training Institution Ordinance, 1971, has always operated separate branches. Petitioners said the Boys Branch remained financially stable and maintained academic standards, while the Girls Branch ran on monthly losses.
According to the petitioners, the Girls Branch did not pay its share of electricity and tube-well expenses from 2012 to 2017. The Board did not resolve this dispute. Instead, it decided to merge the branches without listing it on the agenda, preparing a feasibility report, or consulting stakeholders.
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Mr. Kakakhel argued that the Board forced the self-sufficient Boys Branch to cover the financial gap of the Girls Branch. As a result, the school faced delayed salaries, drained savings, poor maintenance, and a drop in academic quality.
He further argued that the merger violated legal procedures. The meeting lacked quorum and excluded affected staff. He called the decision ultra vires and taken without lawful authority.
He noted that the Boys Branch earned Rs. 10–11.3 million monthly, while the Girls Branch brought in only Rs. 4.1–4.5 million and spent Rs. 8–9 million. This financial burden, he said, threatened the entire institution.
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Representing the provincial government, Additional Advocate General Syed Mukhtiar Ali Shah and Advocate Abdul Hameed Khan said the merger was a policy decision. They argued that courts should not interfere in such matters. They added that the Board had already planned a meeting to review issues affecting both branches.
The division bench—Justice Wiqar Ahmad and Justice Fazal Subhan—refused to reverse the merger immediately. However, they directed the school administration to ensure the Board hears all objections to the Peshawar Public School merger.
The court disposed of the writ petition with directions for the Board to review the complaints and make a decision that protects the institution and its stakeholders.
