New Delhi:
The Delhi government has intensified the surveillance and has initiated a crack to curb irregular and excessive fees by private united schools in the national capital.
This step comes in response to long-standing complaints of parents or parents.
In a statement on Saturday, the Directorate of Education (DOE) described the issue as “old and deep-harassed for families”- especially from medium and low-come groups- and said it was under lens for many years.
This problem especially increased during the covid period, the annual fee report increases from 25 percent to 30 percent, it said.
Doo said, “Many parents have also accused the schools of force, which has been threatened to deny the admit card for board examinations and strike on the students’ names, which they are described as unauthorized fees,” said DOE.
Focusing on these frequent complaints, the DOE stated that it intensified the monitoring of private schools and launched a widespread crack.
“High-level inspection teams, including District Magistrates, have been deployed to investigate cases of complaints related to fees. In such an example, a school was inspected after complaints lodged by parents on related issues,” said this.
The DOE warned that any institution would be found guilty of violating the fee rules under the Delhi School Education Act and Rules, 1973, which will face serious consequences.
“These may include suspension, cancellation of recognition, and even steps to manage schools incorrectly,” it is also said.
A special audit of school finance is also being introduced, in which senior accounting officers have been nominated to check the records of non-non-compliance institutes.
The DOE has also taken steps to protect the rights of students from economically weaker sections and disadvantaged groups.
A dedicated nodal officer has been appointed to resolve complaints related to any form of discrimination in any form of books, uniforms or entry.
DOE has also instructed private schools not to force parents or parents to buy books or uniforms from special vendors or change uniform design more than once every three years.
This has committed to strictly pursue pending cases in courts related to fee hike, seeking initial hearing to ensure Swift resolution.
The DOE said that the Education Department has confirmed its resolve to ensure just and quality education for all students, with a budget allocation of about Rs 2,000 crore in the financial year of 2025-26, said DOE.
“DOE is fully committed to protecting the educational interests of students. The most strict legal action will be faced when any private school involved in arbitrary fee hike,” said this.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is published by a syndicated feed.)
