Haryana: Private schools violating Form-6 rules, allege parents

Bijendra Ahlawat

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Faridabad, April 19

The State Education Department has extended the last date for submission of Form- 6 by recognised private schools to April 30. Alleging violation of the Haryana School Education Rule Act- 1995, a parents body, Abhibhiwak Ekta Manch(AEM), has demanded a rollback of fee hike done prior to the submission of the form.

What is Form-6

Information that a school needs to divulge in the beginning of the academic session regarding fee structure, salaries, facilities, etc as compared to last year

Form-6 is the information that a school needs to divulge in the beginning of the academic session regarding hike in fee structure and salaries, addition of new facilities, etc as compared to the last academic year.

Though the date for submission is February every year, this year round the extension has been done for the fourth time, say sources in the department. The last date was extended to March 15, March 31 and April 15, it is reported. Expressing concern over the move, the AEM has alleged that it is an attempt to save schools from legal action as majority of them have either not submitted the Form- 6 or have submitted it after increasing the fee and the start of the new academic session.

“We do not have any information about the compliance of the norms regarding uploading the Form- 6 on the official website or displaying its details on the notice boards in the schools here,’’ says Kailash Sharma, General Secretary, Abhibhiwak Ekta Manch.

Claiming that while almost all the schools affiliated to CBSE, ICSE or the Haryana Education Board have hiked the fee upto 20 per cent, he says the schools have failed to notify it officially either at the portal of the department or at school level, resulting in the violation of the Act. The management of every recognised school shall submit details of the minimum facilities in the Form-6 being provided and mandatory fee components to be charged in accordance of the clause-1 and sub rule- 4 of the ensuing academic year, reads the notification issued in December 2021 under the Haryana School Education Rule Act- 1995.

It also instructs the schools to submit Form- 6 online on or before February 1 each year to the Director- Education and says that no school shall charge any mandatory fee component other than what has been submitted in the Form- 6.

The schools are also supposed to display Form- 6 publicly (except Clause- 10 of Form-6) on its notice board and website. ’Failure to do so may debar the schools from raising the fee structure for that academic year’ according to the notification. Though the schools cannot compel the students to purchase books, notebooks, stationery and uniforms from a shop recommended by it, violations continue, according to the notification.

Sanjay Joon, Divisional Commissioner and Chairperson, Fee and Funds Regulatory Committee(FFRC) said while compliance of the norms regarding Form- 6 is mandatory, he said violations if any would be probed.