Blue Bells school parents meet CM at Janta Darbar, raise concerns about fee

Parents claimed the education department is working in favour of the school and not taking steps to roll back the fee hike

Parents of Blue Bells Schools, who have been protesting against arbitrary fees hike, met Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar during the first Janta Darbar in Gurgaon on Sunday. Though the parents have deposited the fees, they said they were disheartened after the additional chief secretary(ACS), school education, Haryana, put a stay on the divisional commissioner’s directive to all schools to refund hiked fees. The same, they said, marked a violation of Haryana State Education Rules 2003 and guidelines of FFRC.

Blue Bells parents have been holding protests against fee hikes by the school authorities. (HT FILE PHOTO)

The parents alleged that the education department is favouring the school management and not taking action against them for the arbitrary fee hike. They said the department shouldn’t have put a stay on the order to refund hiked fees.

An order was passed on July 31, this year, stating that the fee hike by the Blue Bells School this year is invalid, as the school had failed to comply with guidelines of fee and fund regulatory committee (FFRC) and submitted the Form VI post the deadline set for the same.

D Suresh, who is also the chairman of the FFRC, had in March had directed city schools not to levy an advance fee and only charge the fee as per the heads mentioned in Form 6. But the schools allegedly violated the order.

“The divisional commissioner had said that the fee hike was illegal and arbitrary and the proposed fee hike was declared as null and void. He had directed the school management to refund the raised fee, but it never happened,” Suresh said.

However, the chief minister gave the parents a patient hearing and directed administration authorities to look into the their issues and resolve them on priority. He assured the parents of prompt action on the issue.

Read I Gurgaon: Relief for parents as Blue Bells school told to refund hiked fees

“The stay by the ACS (on the directive to refund hiked fees) suggests that the education department is working in favour of the school authorities and their intent is dubious,” said Mahesh Yadav, parent of a Blue Bells student.

Parents said they have full faith in the chief minister and are counting on him for justice.

“This is the CM’s first grievance redressal program in Gurgaon and we are fully confident that our grievance will be redressed,” said Rajdeep Kaur, another parent.

Parents are now hopeful that the first-ever Janta Darbar by the CM will set an example of grievance redressal and justice will be done to thousands of aggrieved parents.