School directed not to increase fee

Tribune News Service
Patiala, June 14

The fee regulatory body-cum-Commissioner Patiala division has directed a school to refrain from increasing fee. The institute has been found of increasing fee for various sessions despite having sufficient funds. 

The school has also been directed to submit its audit report of annual income to the District Education Officer (Secondary Education) within three months.

The directions came in a case filed by the Parents Association of Ryan International School, Urban Estate, against the school management under the Punjab Fee Regulation Act, 2016. 

As per a report prepared by the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) General, the parents had alleged that the school management had inadvertently increased fee and charged capitation fee in the name of donations. 

The report stated that the school increased fee despite having surplus funds since 2013 and added that the collected amount has been spent on unrelated trusts and other matters. It also mentios that the school increased fee by 8 per cent in 2017-18 and increments in 2016-17 and 2017-18 were unjustified according to the Punjab Fee Regulation Act.

The school in its defence said, “Fee charged by unaided school could not be regulated. Each minority institution is entitled to have its own fee structure subject to the condition that there can be no profiteering and capitation fee cannot be charged.” The school management added that the increment done in 2017-18 was done in accordance with the Act while the school has also formed a Parent Teacher Association and offered not to increase fee for the current and next academic sessions.

The office of Divisional Commissioner later decided that the school should not increase fee in the current and immediate next session in view of previous increments and funds available with it.