Gurgaon: Education department wants schools to display fee structures on notice boards

The district education department is going to serve notices to private schools on Monday, directing them to display their fees structures on notice boards.

The district education department is going to serve notices to private schools on Monday, directing them to display their fees structures on notice boards. Officials said that the move is aimed at making the parents aware of the detailed break-up of school fees under various heads.

A number of protests over the last three years have taken place in Gurgaon over alleged overcharging by private schools. (HT File)

The district education officials will work in unison in a bid to enforce this order. The officials said the move to enforce this diktat across private schools was necessitated after the department drew a large number of complaints of overcharging and lack of clarity on their fee structures.

Strict action will be taken against those flouting rules, the officials said. The objective of the government order is to bring more transparency to the admission process, especially with regard to the fee structure.

A number of protests over the last three years have taken place in Gurgaon over alleged overcharging by private schools.

According to guidelines issued by the education department, besides publishing the annual fees for all classes, from nursery to class 12, the schools will be mandated to put up two display boards — one on the premises and the other near the entrance — with details such as the medium of education and course plans.

The district education officer(DEO) received several complaints from parents that schools aren’t following the rules and regulations while deciding on their fee structures. “There are several schools that are not following guidelines. Notice boards display other details, but there is no mention of the fee structure. A similar direction had been issued earlier as well, but it seems they need regular reminders. We’ll go all out to enforce the order this time,” Neelam Bhandari, district education officer, said.

She said that surprise checks will also be conducted to ensure that schools are following the norms.

Vikas Dhull, who has been doing the rounds of private schools for admission of his son to class 1, said, “The schools aren’t transparent in their functioning. There are costs that the parents aren’t even aware of. This order should help us get some clarity on the fee structures and functioning.”

Parents said there is a need for the education department to crack the whip on private schools. “Once the details are up on notice boards, parents can cross-check and verify the same,” Sangeeta Kalra, a parent, said. She said that some schools also put up incorrect details and exaggerate about their facilities and infrastructure.