DM restrains Ghaziabad public schools from hiking fees

Ghaziabad, April 25 (IANS) The Ghaziabad district magistrate has restrained public schools from hiking fees for now and regulated them to maintain the same fee structure for three years besides extending proportionate quota to classified students as laid down in land allotment conditions.

"The tuition fee cannot be revised before three years and the revision cannot be more than 10 percent in one go. And the overall income of the school from the tuition fee and dearness allowance, after the deduction of the staff salary, should not be more than 20 percent," District Magistrate S.V.S. Ranga Rao said.

"The schools should follow these conditions laid down by the government, education boards and the Supreme Court but the no school is following those," he added.

Ranga Rao in his order gave reference to the recommendations of a committee constituted by him April 15 to find violations in execution of the provisions of the clause (ch) of the Uttar Pradesh government NOC dated 11/10/2011.

"All the heads/principals of the non-financial-aided institutions are directed that after the enforcement of this order, the state order dated 11/10/2011 would be enforced word by word. If any increased fee has been realised from the students that would, either, be adjusted in the next instalment along with the interest or would be refunded the same within a week of this order dated April 25."

The school managements, he said, "would not enforce the students to buy the stationery from the school. If any complaint regarding humiliating students is found, Section 144 of the CrPC would be imposed and an FIR lodged. A separate report would be forwarded to the UP administration for non-compliance of the conditions issued by the state in issuance of the NOC."

In the land allotment conditions laid down by the Ghaziabad Development Authority, Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation, and Avas Vikas Parishad, five percent reservation to children of staff and 10 percent to economically deprived children was provided, but the schools have not followed those.

The main violators were the three branches of DPS Ghaziabad (Vasundhara, Meerut Road and Dasna), Bal Bharti Brij Vihar and Bansthali Vasundhara. The DPSG enhanced fees up to 40 percent from Rs.21,000 in 2004 to Rs.71,000 in 2013 and Rs.99,000 in 2014.

The district magistrate mentioned the Supreme Court citation in which the court mentioned: "The court prohibits the transfer of fee, fund or surpluses of one school to another or to its parent trust or society though it permitted school management to collect reasonable sums up to 10 to 15 percent of tuition fee for capital expenditure to be credited into separate development fund."