Panchkula Bhavan Vidyalaya gets notice for fee hike

Sector-15 based school told to explain the fee hike in the last session in a notice by the Haryana elementary education department

The Haryana elementary education department has served a notice on Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 15, seeking an explanation for the fee hike communicated to parents regarding the 2021-22 session.

Parents alleged that they received phone calls from Bhavan Vidyalaya on Monday, asking them to take their children back and not send them to school till the fees was paid. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The notice from the office of director, elementary education, Haryana, came after a group of parents filed a complaint that the school authorities had levied an additional tuition fee of around ₹15,000 for the last session and students who had not paid up were not being allowed to attend school.

They alleged that they received phone calls from the school on Monday, asking them to take their children back and not send them to school till the fees was paid.

A day later, the parents of several such students held a demonstration in front of the office of the director, elementary education, Haryana, prompting it to issue a notice.

The parents also submitted a letter to the office, stating, “The school is charging an unjustified fee from the last session. We had filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana high court that had asked the school to only charge tuition fee during the pendency of the petition.”

The parents said while the tuition fee was ₹2,300 per month in 2020, it was increased to ₹5,500 in 2021 and further to ₹6,000 for the new 2022-23 session.

“A notice has been issued to Bhavan Vidyalaya for an explanation regarding the hike in tuition fee last year,” said Nirupama, district elementary education officer, Panchkula.

Notably, in December last year, the Haryana government had barred schools from increasing their fees by more than 5% or change their uniform before five years.

Students not allowed to attend class: Parents

One of the parents, Dalbir Singh Pal, said, “My two children are enrolled in Bhavan Vidyalaya, Panchkula. On Monday afternoon, the school staff informed me over the phone not to send my children to school as I haven’t submitted the complete tuition fee for the last year.”

He said the children were not allowed to attend classes and were made to sit in the library. “They were not even allowed water bottles or tiffin,” he alleged.

Another parent Sanjeev Kalra stated in a complaint that the school had held back the results of students who had not paid the fee completely and was now also threatening to strike off their names.

Principal Gulshan Kaur said as per school policy, students not clearing their fee dues were not promoted to the next class. “When the school reopened for the new session on Monday, students, whose fee was pending, were made to sit in the library and a bridge course was conducted for them.”

Kaur added that meanwhile, the students’ parents were informed over the phone to clear their dues or submit an affidavit citing their inability to do so. “Rather, they reached the school and started shooting videos. We allowed the children to attend classes the next day. But despite several attempts, the parents are not ready to talk,” she claimed.

“Most of these parents are from good financial backgrounds and can easily pay the fee, but they want blanket concession on the pretext of the Covid-19 pandemic, which is not possible until they give proof. The whole matter is politically motivated,” the principal further said.