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High court allows 40 per cent school fee hike

The Delhi high court today allowed public schools in the capital to raise their fees by a maximum of 40 per cent in view of the implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations.

The interim judgment has come as a blow to the parents's fight against the fee increase. They expected a court direction to the schools to withdraw the 'illegal' hike.

While keeping the final disposal of the case pending till January 14, a division bench comprising Justices Arun Kumar and Dalveer Bhandari said the hike would be on the fee charged during the 1996-97 academic session, ending March 31.

The court was hearing a bunch of petitions filed in support and against the fee hike.

A public interest petition was filed by the Delhi Abhibhawak Mahasangh, a body representing parents of students of various public schools, seeking a direction to the schools to withdraw the 'exorbitant' fee hike. Subsequently, several public schools, coming together as the Action Committee for Unaided Public Schools, petitioned the court, defending the hike on the grounds that it had become inevitable.

In its petition, the Mahasangh had stated that the fee hike was against the Delhi director of education notification on fee structure which had put various restrictions on the schools for charging fee.

Besides the school fee, the director of education had also restrained the schools from charging computer fee which it considered was part of the monthly fee. Developmental fee and building funds could not be charged more than once and that too not exceeding Rs 500. The admission fee or readmission fee should not exceed more than Rs 200, the director of education had ruled.

But, in violation of these rules, most of the schools have been charging fee at a rate much more than the prescribed limit, the parents body claimed.

UNI

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