The Delhi Government on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision making it mandatory for private schools on Government land to seek Delhi Government’s approval, before implementing a fee hike. Terming it a historic decision, Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia said justice had truly been delivered.
The Supreme Court’s decision will impact 450 private schools in the national Capital. The Deputy Chief Minister has urged the private schools to be more transparent in their admission and fee structure process, or face the consequences. “You have signed a letter from the Delhi Government that states that land is being allotted to you for educational purposes. If you are unable to abide by it, then let it go. The arbitrary fee hike will not be tolerated,” he added.
“This is a historic decision. It is a major victory for thousands of parents and students studying in private schools. Earlier Governments have destroyed the education system at Government schools by giving more importance to private schools. Most of these have been built in the name of politicians and their families. The rules and regulations here have been favoring exploitation of the parents,” he added.
The Deputy Chief Minister pointed out that the Delhi Government had sent numerous communications to private schools instructing them to not to increase fees arbitrarily. They were encouraged to seek approval from the Delhi Government, instead. “Of the 450 private schools, only 172 schools applied for the fee hike. When we sent CAG-empanelled auditors to examine their demands, at least 28 private schools withdrew the application. When the remaining were inspected, it turned out that within a year’s fees they had collected a surplus of Rs 5 crore. Why the pile up and extortion from parentsIJ” said the deputy Chief Minister.
Earlier, in its verdict on January 20, 2016 the Delhi High Court had stated that the schools built on land allotted by DDA cannot hike the fee before taking prior permission from the Department of Education. Thereafter, an association of private schools appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn the HC judgment. The association argued that mid-session fee hike did not need a prior sanction from the directorate of education (DoE).
The private schools and the Delhi Government had been at loggerheads over the guidelines of the nursery admission. This continuous confrontation between the Government and the private schools has led to confusion among the parents.