‘Explain fee hike or lose recognition’

Acting against excessive fee hike, director of secondary education Nathmal Didel issued a notice to Jaipur’s Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan Vidyashram on Tuesday, asking the school to submit records and explain the increase or lose recognition.

The notice states that many students and their parents have complained that the school did not form a fee committee in accordance with the norms of the Rajasthan Schools (Regulation of Fee) Act, 2016. It says the school raised fees excessively, violating the 2016 act and 2017 rules.

The school was asked to take back the increased fees, and its administration directed to submit relevant records in person to the director and deputy director (secondary education) on April 26. The school also received a letter from district education officer Ratan Singh Yadav on Monday, which stated that the Education Board’s investigation had found the school at fault for increasing fees without following norms.

A parent said on the condition of anonymity that the school has extended the deadline for payment of fees to April 30 from April 25. “They are trying to corner us, and are repeatedly asking about our wards’ details. But we will not back down,” he said.

When HT contacted Vidyashram school’s principal Pratima Sharma, she refused to comment.

Parents of children, studying at Jaipur School in Vidyadhar Nagar, are also protesting against fee hike. The school raised the fees by 22% and set April 15 as the last date of payment. “We raised our concern with the school administration, but they refused to take us seriously. On Monday, we wrote to ADM North and DEO Yadav,” said a parent whose son studies in Class 10 at Jaipur School. Jaipur School principal Rekha Narula cited the seventh pay commission as the reason behind the fee hike. HTC

JAIPUR: