Complaining against the private schools for procuring nearly Rs400 crore from parents in the name of hiked fee, Vijender Gupta, President of Delhi Parents’ Association, has written a letter to the lieutenant-Governor and demanded a judicial inquiry against the schools for bungling and contempt of court. “Despite High Court’s order which had directed schools to return the amount, taken wrongfully, to parents, the schools are not abiding by it,” said Gupta in the letter, adding that if the schools continue to turn a deaf ear, they should be de-recognised.
“In 2009, the Delhi Government had allowed the private schools to hike their fee by 25-30 per cent under the 6th Pay Commission but schools illegally hiked it by 150 per cent and robbed parents of their money. Schools wrongfully began charging increased fee from parents in 2006 and cancelled the admissions of those children whose parents refused to pay the fee. Not just that, schools also used fabricated documents to back their misdeed,” said Gupta.
Earlier the Parents’ Association had approached the Delhi High Court which ordered the schools to return the overcharged fee to parents with an interest of 9 per cent. An enquiry by the HC-appointed Justice Anil Dev Singh Committee named nearly 250 private schools in the Capital flouting the orders and looting parents of Rs300 crore plus 9 per cent interest which makes it Rs400 crore. “After receiving numerous complaints from anguished parents, we tried contacting those schools but they didn’t listen, forcing us to seek legal intervention. The schools have still not returned the amount,” Gupta told l-G.