Private school fee: Panel to be set up to look into parents’ grievances

The Delhi high court has directed the education department to set up a ‘fee anomaly committee’ to which parents can directly forward their grievances regarding fees by private schools

As per the direction of the Delhi high court, the education department will constitute a ‘fee anomaly committee’ to which parents can directly forward their grievances regarding fees or any other charge being imposed by recognised unaided private schools of Delhi.

A DoE official has said that the department regularly receives complaints from parents against private schools on issues related to fee hike, fee irregularities and other charges. (HT Photo)

On Tuesday, a division bench of the Delhi high court issued the direction in a petition filed against a minority school.

An official from the directorate of education (DoE) said that a committee on similar lines already exists but has been defunct for some time now.

As per the Delhi School Education Rules, 1973, the ‘Fee Anomaly Committee’ should include the deputy director of education of the district concerned, education officer, or, in his absence, deputy education officer of the zone, and a charted accountant nominated by the department.

“The deputy director of education of the district is in charge of all such issues and now we will include other members too,” the official said.

Another DoE official said that the department regularly receives complaints from parents against private schools on issues related to fee hike, fee irregularities and other charges. “There is no fixed pattern but we regularly get complaints. Sometimes we get complaints every day and sometimes we do not get even one complaint in a week,” the official said.

A copy of the order, shared by Jha, stated, “…constitute a committee to enable any parent or guardian of a student, who are aggrieved by the amount of fee or any other charge being levied by any recognised unaided school, to register a complaint either individually or collectively in this behalf; which shall be disposed off by the statutory body whilst returning definite findings on the issues referred to it.”

Jha said that the counsel for the government has assured that the committee will be formed within two weeks.