Noida schools told not to increase fees for 2021-22

NOIDA: The Gautam Budh Nagar district fee regulation committee (DFRC) has directed all the schools in the district not to increase fees for the academic year 2021-22 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic situation

NOIDA: The Gautam Budh Nagar district fee regulation committee (DFRC) has directed all the schools in the district not to increase fees for the academic year 2021-22 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic situation. The schools were also asked to charge fees only on monthly basis, officials said.

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The GB Nagar district magistrate, Suhas LY, said that in a DFRC meeting held on Tuesday, it was decided that schools should not impose any increase in fees in the 2021-22 academic session. “Since we had received a lot of complaints against private schools for imposing additional fees at the end of the academic year, the committee did not keep any school as part of its meeting,” said the DM, who is the ex-officio chairman of the DFRC.

The GB Nagar district inspector of schools (DIOS), Dharmveer Singh, said that issues related to increase in annual fees by some schools for the said academic year were also discussed in the meeting. “It was unanimously decided by the committee that no fee increment shall be permitted. All the schools have been asked to charge the prevailing fee of the current academic session,” he said.

Singh also said that in case of violation of these orders, the DFRC can impose penalties on the schools. “Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the National Disaster Management Act, 2005, is still in force. All the schools are advised to strictly follow the directions of the DFRC and the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). So, the schools can only charge fees on a monthly basis,” he said.

Parents have welcomed the DFRC’s decision. Yatendra Kasana, president of All Noida School Parents’ Association said it was a great decision by the DFRC. “At the same time, we are worried that the committee didn’t take any action on the schools, which have stopped the students’ classes due to non-payment of fees. Also, we demand the reconstruction of the fee regulation committee as some of its members have criminal cases against them,” Kasana said.

Echoing similar views, president of Gautam Budh Nagar Parents Welfare Society, Kapil Sharma, said the society has also demanded that the schools should charge only tuition fee from the students. “We have informed the DM that most of the schools merge tuition fee with annual fee and charge it as composite fee. Parents are still facing the financial problems due to Covid-19 pandemic. As the parents are burdened by schools’ decision to charge annual fee, we’ve requested the DM for the waiver of additional fee,” he said.

Despite repeated attempts, Kamini Bhasin, principal of DPS Noida and a member of DFRC, could not be contacted for a comment.