Greater Noida: If we compare to the rest of the cities of Delhi-NCR, the school fees in Noida have touched the sky. In such a situation, now social activist Abhisht Gupta has filed a petition in the court against the alleged arbitrariness and excessive fee collection of private schools. He has raised many important issues in this regard. If compared to the neighbouring states Delhi and Haryana, the burden of fees is many times more.
After corona, schools turned arbitrary
During the Corona period, there was a ban on taking monthly fees and other charges for a few days. It was partially accepted but as soon as the situation became normal, the schools again returned to the old way and started charging arbitrarily. In the absence of unity of parents, schools openly ignore even clear orders.
Corona orders ignored
Social activist Abhisht Gupta says, “During the pandemic, when many parents lost their jobs and businesses came to a standstill, the government had directed schools to refund 15 per cent of the total fees. “But to date, this issue has not been resolved,” he said. He questioned why school fees in Noida are so high compared to the surrounding states and districts. He cited the Independent School Fees Act, under which a composite fee was made by adjusting all the fees, in which the facility fee was abolished. “But the school management is not ready to accept it.”
Question on the development fund
Gupta raised another important issue and said that the development fund of schools is much more than the rules. “As per the rules, any school can keep a maximum of 15 per cent of its annual fees as a development fund. But here this amount has reached Rs 100 to 150 crore, whereas it should be from Rs 15-20 lakh to a maximum of Rs 45 lakh.”He alleged that the schools were not showing this fund in the general balance sheet nor were they using it for teachers’ salaries.