Govt toughens stand against private schools hiking fees

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 13

Private schools in the national Capital that are imposing “arbitrary” fee hikes are soon going to be in trouble as the Delhi Government has decided to act tough against all such schools.

Following complaints from parents against several schools the Aam Aadmi Party government today notified the Fee Anomaly Committee to deal with fee hikes by such private unaided schools in the capital.

The move came in line with the recommendations of the Justice Duggal Committee constituted by the Delhi High Court on the issue.

A meeting has been called tomorrow when the MLAs are supposed to make available data concerning such complaints in their constituency, said an official from the Directorate of Education (DoE).

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also met today on the issue and called a meeting of all the MLAs and education department officials tomorrow.

According to parents, the schools are justifying their fee hikes with implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission Recommendations. The DoE had also written to schools recently asking them to refrain from any such “unjustified” hike in school fees.

The recognised unaided schools in the city have also been directed to make available to the Fee Anomaly Committee any record of the school and submit its accounts in the proforma as prescribed for the purpose which the committee may demand.

With the notification of these committees, any parent/guardian of a student of any recognised unaided school individually or jointly aggrieved by the amount of fees or any other charge being levied by the school may register a complaint with these committees.

The committee shall examine and scrutinise the individual complaints received within 90 days and submit its report to the office with its definitive findings on the issue referred to it for their disposal with the approval of director.

The complaint can be registered with the committee of the respective districts in the prescribed proforma along with a processing fee of Rs 100.

The committee will be effective in every district and will comprise Deputy Director Education of the District as chairperson, education officer of the zone and in his/her absence deputy education officer as member and chartered accountant nominated by the Director of Education as member.