8 pvt schools in UT put balance sheets online, show surplus

CHANDIGARH : Amid the row over Chandigarh administration’s ban on collection of fees during the Covid-19 lockdown, eight private schools of the city have uploaded their balance sheets, showing a surplus ranging between ₹50 lakh and ₹ 4 crore.

This comes days after the Punjab and Haryana high court took cognisance of the Independent Schools Association’s plea seeking permission to charge fees from parents during the lockdown. Earlier, over 50 schools out of Chandigarh’s 77 private schools had expressed their inability to pay salaries to their staff in view of the UT administration’s order.

Following this, the education department had asked schools to upload their balance sheets online, by invoking the Punjab Fees Regulation Act, 2016. The Chandigarh Parents’ Association had also made several complaints against charging of fees. Even after two reminders, at least 60 schools are yet to upload their balance sheets.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliation bylaws, Punjab Fee Regulation Act, 2016, and several Supreme Court as well as high court rulings have stated that schools should not indulge in profiteering and commercialisation.

As per the Punjab Fee Regulation Act, an “unaided educational institution cannot indulge in profiteering”, while making it mandatory for schools to upload income, expenditure account and balance sheet on their website. In case of violation, a regulatory body headed by the education secretary takes a call on it.

A CBSE regional officer, who was not authorised to speak to media, said: “In case we receive any formal complaint, we will forward it to the central affiliation branch.” Rubinderjit Singh Brar, director, school education, UT, said the department will start issuing show-cause notices to the schools in the upcoming week. “We will issue show-cause notices and put up the issue for decision before the fee regulation authority,” he said.