Nursery child denied entry for 3rd day; DoE warns school in letter

The girl’s parents said that their daughter was denied entry into the school for a third day on Thursday for not paying a hiked fee to the school. This, despite the fact that the hiked fee has not been approved by the Directorate of Education (DoE) which also issued a warning to the school over the matter a day earlier.

Parents of a nursery class student of Salwan Public School in east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar said their daughter was denied entry into the school for a third day on Thursday for not paying a hiked fee to the school. This, despite the fact that the hiked fee has not been approved by the Directorate of Education (DoE) which also issued a warning to the school over the matter a day earlier.

On Wednesday, the parents had raised the issue with the east Delhi district deputy director of education. (HT)

“I have paid all the fees on time except the hiked amount,” the father said, adding that his daughter, who had just started school, was “mentally traumatised”. Their daughter was barred from entering the schools on January 27, 28, and 29, he said. During a meeting with the principal on January 27, the father alleged he had been told his daughter’s name had been struck off from the school rolls over non-payment of the arrears amounting to ₹11,598.

The school’s principal Richa Sharma Katyal did not respond to HT’s queries asking if the fee hike had been duly approved or on the DoE order.

However, she confirmed that the student had been denied entry, saying that a fee reminder notice had been sent to the parents over email. “Since July 2025, the parent has been depositing the fee structure applicable to the academic year 2015-16. It is neither feasible nor justifiable for a school to function in the academic years 2025-26 on a fee structure applicable to 2015-16,” Katyal said.

She further said that the parents had earlier signed an undertaking to pay the academic fee, including the fee hike, if any, announced by the school at any point.

On Wednesday, the parents had raised the issue with the east Delhi district deputy director of education.

Following this, in a letter addressed to the principal, the DoE allegedly asked the school to not strike off the name of any student enrolled in the school due to non-payment of the hiked fee amount not approved by the department. HT has seen a copy of the letter, which school officials, asking not to be identified, confirmed receiving.

“An advisory was issued to the Salwan Public School, Mayur Vihar...in which it was directed that the school will not withhold result of any students, not to deny mark sheet, also not to discriminate and not to strike off the name in respect of any such students whose parents have not paid arrears of hiked fees which is not approved by departments,” said DoE. “Non-compliance will be viewed seriously and action deemed fit as per provisions of Delhi School Education Act and Rules, 1973 will be taken against the school.”

This is the third time in the ongoing academic session 2025-26 that the school has been issued notice on this issue. The earlier two were issued in May and July last year.

The development comes at a time when the Delhi government and private unaided schools in the Capital are fighting a courtroom battle over a fee regulation act passed in 2025.