7 Noida private schools fined ₹1 lakh for fee hike violations

Officials said the district administration had earlier issued notices to 45 schools. However, the seven schools were found to be in violation despite notices.

The Gautam Budh Nagar’s District Fee Regulatory Committee (DFRC) has imposed penalties of ₹1 lakh each on seven private schools for allegedly violating provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Self-Financed Independent Schools (Fee Regulation) Act, 2018, during the 2026–27 academic session, officials said.

The committee imposed a penalty of ₹1 lakh on each of the seven schools. (Pexel/Representational Image)

The decision was taken on Tuesday at a DFRC meeting, chaired by district magistrate Medha Roopam, where the committee reviewed fee hikes implemented by private schools and their compliance with the provisions of the Act, the district administration said in a statement.

Notably, the Act requires private unaided schools to ensure transparency and accountability in fee determination and collection, in compliance with the prescribed norms.

Violation of fee limits

According to officials, six of the seven schools increased fees beyond the permissible limit of 7.23% for the 2026-27 academic session, while one school was found to have charged annual fees separately in addition to the composite fee. Also, the school did not upload its fee structure for the 2025-26 academic session on its website.

Officials said the district administration had earlier issued notices to 45 schools over fee hikes, directing them to comply with the provisions of the Act. However, the seven schools were found to be in violation despite notices.

“We had issued notices to these schools regarding the fee hikes, but they neither rolled back the increase nor provided any satisfactory clarification,” said Chandra Shekhar, district inspector of schools (DIOS) told HT.

“A recovery certificate (RC) will now be issued by the authorities. The schools will have to pay the penalty, and if they fail to do so, legal proceedings will be initiated,” the DIOS added.

Penalty of ₹1 lakh imposed

The committee imposed a penalty of ₹1 lakh on each of the seven schools. Officials said all seven schools were treated as first-time offenders under the Act.

The DIOS, however, did not specify the extent to which the six schools had exceeded the permissible fee hike.

HT reached out to all seven schools for comment. Some school representatives said they were unaware of the committee’s decision and declined to comment on record, while responses from the remaining schools remained awaited till Wednesday evening.

Notably, the action follows a DFRC meeting held on April 7 after parents complained of steep fee hikes by private schools.

At the time, officials said the maximum permissible fee hike for the 2026-27 academic session had been fixed at 7.23%, calculated as 5% plus the Consumer Price Index (calculated based on the average change over time in prices paid by consumers). Schools were also directed not to compel parents to purchase books, uniforms, shoes or other materials from specific vendors.