By IANS,
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Wednesday said the fee hike by private unaided schools in the capital was “highly objectionable”, and sought a response from the city government on the issue.
A division bench headed Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice Sanjeev Khanna asked the government to file its reply by April 29.
“This (hike in fees) is highly objectionable. Let there be some examination on the whole aspect,” observed the bench hearing a public interest petition.
The court asked the government if the schools were following the mandatory provision of law with regard to their accounts.
Appearing for a parents’ association, counsel Ashok Aggarwal told the court that the government had gone contrary to the recommendation given by the S.L. Bansal Committee, constituted to look into the fee hike of schools.
The court asked the government to place on record before it the entire report of the committee on the next date of hearing.
The Delhi Abhibhavak Mahasangh, aided by NGO Social Jurist, had challenged the Directorate of Education’s (DoE) notification on the grounds that it violates the orders of the high court and the Supreme Court that the accounts of each school be examined before they are allowed to hike fee.
The schools have been demanding up to 50 percent tuition fee hike in order to implement the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations on teachers’ salaries and arrears.
The DoE has created five slabs on the basis of the existing tuition fee in schools, allowing them a maximum fee hike of Rs.500.