Regulation committee debars DPS Srinagar from hiking fee by 20%
The fee fixation authorities for private schools have instead instructed the school to hike the fee only by 10% for the academic session 2023-24 and another 10% in the next.
The fee fixation authorities for private schools in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday barred Delhi Public School (DPS), Srinagar, from imposing a fee hike of 20%. They have instead instructed the school to hike the fee only by 10% for the academic session 2023-24 and another 10% in the next.
It also asked each parent to seek refund of ₹90,000 admission fee sought by the school in the guise of refundable security deposit.
The Fee Fixation and Regulation Committee (FFRC) for private schools issued an order after complaints by parents that the school hiked the tuition fee abruptly by 20 percent in mid-session.
FFRC chairperson retired justice Sunil Hali said in the order that the demand of the parents was genuine as a spike of 20% will become a “burden” on them.
“I therefore direct school management to charge the raised tuition fee in two installments. 10% be charged in the session 2023-24 and 10% in the next session i.e. 2024-25,” the order said.
The order stated that the school management had submitted its file on 22 March 2021 for fixation of fee but the committee did not take any decision. “Reason for not taking any decision was with respect to certain queries raised by the committee for fixation of the fee of the school,” it said.
The committee also stated that there are complainants that ₹90,000 is charged as admission fee in the guise of security deposit (refundable). It said that the receipts issued by the school management were submitted by complainants on this behalf.
“The committee has already clarified in its orders that no fee except tuition fee, annual fee and transport fee can be charged from the students. The school cannot charge ₹90,000 as security deposit. It is specifically debarred by the statute. Any person who has paid this amount shall seek refund from the school management,” Justice Hali said in the order.
The committee said the increase of annual fee from ₹8,700 to ₹14,000 should be charged in two instalments. “First instalment in the beginning of a new session and second instalment in the month of July every year,” the order said.
The FFRC also barred the school from the immediate charging of late fee saying the same shall be done in case a parent fails to deposit a fee consecutively for three months. “No late fee must be charged for any delayed payments up to three months,” the order said.
The committee also sought an explanation from the school in a week’s time as to why transport fee more than the upper limit of ₹2,000 was being charged from students availing the transport facility.
“The last grievance of the complainants is that the Parents Association formed in the school consists of the persons who are members of the management. The school management is directed to submit the particulars of the members of its parents association along with their status, however parents have a right to constitute a parents association on their own without seeking any guidance from the School management,” Justice Hali ordered.
