Parents’ body moves HC against fee hike

A parents’ association from the Capital on Friday moved the Delhi High Court challenging the government’s decision to allow private unaided schools in the city to hike tuition and development fees.

A parents’ association from the Capital on Friday moved the Delhi High Court challenging the government’s decision to allow private unaided schools in the city to hike tuition and development fees.

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Filing a PIL through counsel Ashok Aggarwal, the Delhi Abhibhavak Sangh, Social Jurists, an NGO, and Faith Academy Parent’s Association sought quashing of the notification issued by the Department of Education on February 11 this year permitting schools to hike tuition and development fees with retrospective effect from January 1, 2006.

According to the notification, for every Rs 500 in tuition fees there will be

Rs 100 increase monthly. The petitioners said the decision of the Education Department is not rational or legal.

“Without examining the financial record of the schools as to whether such schools really require an increase in fees or not, the government allowed them to go for hike which is arbitrary,” the petitioners said.

Delhi government had constituted a committee headed by S.L. Bansal, a retired IAS officer, to examine the implications of 6th Pay Commission for recognised unaided schools and the Education Department relied on the committee's recommendation while issuing the notification.