Haryana follows UP beat to resolve fee-hike issue

It seems to be bearing fruit at last. For over three and a half months, parents have been braving the scorching sun to protest the fee hike issue. And now the Haryana Government has taken a leaf out of UP’s book finally decided to catch the bull by its horns.

It seems to be bearing fruit at last. For over three and a half months, parents have been braving the scorching sun to protest the fee hike issue. And now the Haryana Government has taken a leaf out of UP’s book finally decided to catch the bull by its horns.

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The Directorate of School Education, Haryana has directed all the recognised and unaided private schools in the entire state that have enhanced salary of the staff to first explore the possibility of utilizing the existing reserves to meet the shortfall.

“In case the shortfall can not be met from the existing reserves, it may increase the tuition fee not beyond 20 percent of the last year’s tuition fee under any circumstances”, Anurag Rastogi, Commissioner and Director General of School Education Haryana Government says in his directive, the copy of which is in possession of Hindustan Times.

“The detailed justification of the increase in the fees shall be submitted in Form VI to the appropriate authority,” the directive further says, adding, “subject to the above stipulation, only those schools which have submitted the information in Form VI as per provisions of Rule 158 of the Haryana School Education Rules 2003 within the stipulated period, shall be allowed to increase the fee.”

The order also says those schools which have not submitted their information in Form VI for the academic year 2009-10 are given an additional 15 days from the date of issue of this order, to submit the same.

Reacting to the latest order of July 6, 2009 of the DIOS, Faridabad Abibavak Ekta Manch expressed satisfaction at this order saying that its over-three-and-a-half-months long agitation against the arbitrary fee hike has finally yielded results. “Barring a few, most schools are yet to submit Form VI”, said Kailash Sharma, State General Secretary of Haryana Abibavak Ekta Manch.