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Following Chandigarh education dept order against school fee hike, parents demand money back
Parents stated they had already paid the fee before the education department directed schools against hiking the charges.
Parents of private school students across the city are demanding adjustment of 8% hiked fee amount for three months, which they had already paid before the education department barred schools from increasing the fee.
The department had, on June 3, ordered that no private school in Chandigarh can increase the fee for the current academic year, in view of the economic slowdown due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. The order also directed that schools can charge only tuition fee, at the same rates as in 2019-2020.
Prior to this, the education department had, in March, directed all schools to reschedule the last date for depositing fee for the year 2020-21. However, on May 20, the UT administration changed its stand and allowed schools to charge only ‘tuition fees’ after which the schools charged fees at hiked rates for the month of March, April and May.
In June, fresh orders barring schools from hiking the fee were released but by then, most parents had already paid the increased amount.
Independent schools association president HS Mamik said, “The education department has created a lot of confusion. In most schools, 80 to 85 % of the parents have already paid the fees at the increased rates. The hike had been decided in December and we had also informed the department about the same.”
“The matter is sub-judice in Punjab and Haryana high court. We will only adjust the fees if the high-court orders us to do so,” he added.
Nitin Goyal, president of the Chandigarh parents association, said, “Multiple complaints have been filed with the education department regarding this issue, however, there is no clarity by the department on the same. Moreover, the department is also silent on charging of late fees fine by schools, which in turn forces parents to pay hiked fees.”
Rubinderjit Singh Brar, director school education, said he will examine the issue and said, “We will ask schools to adjust the future dues again.”
