Fee hike by Rajasthan private schools: PMO steps in, asks chief secretary to act

The ongoing protests by parents against the exorbitant hike in fee by private schools in Jaipur got a fresh impetus Saturday with the Prime Minister’s Office stepping in after taking cognisance of a letter written by an aggrieved parent,

Replying to a letter written by the parent of a student at Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan Vidyashram School highlighting the excessive fee hike, the PMO, in the letter dated April 27, has directed the Rajasthan chief secretary to take action in the matter.

Deepak Jain, a parent, had written to the PMO on April 23, seeking its intervention in the matter. He had also attached the notices issued by the district education officer (DEO) and the director of secondary education department to Vidyashram School for hiking the fee by up to 40 per cent this year.

The letter stated that the school’s action was in violation of The Rajasthan Schools (Fee Regulation) Act, 2016 and demanded that the fee hike be revoked.

Last week, the Directorate of Secondary Education had also cancelled the school’s No Objection Certificate (NOC). However, hearing a PIL filed by the school, the Rajasthan High Court ordered the government to not take any coercive action against the educational institute.

The school has asked the parents to deposit the hiked fees by May 9.

The PMO has asked the state government to reply to the petitioner and a copy of the same to be uploaded on the portal.

Parents of students at Vidyashram school, meanwhile, carried out a candle light march Saturday evening.

Parents across the city have been protesting against the fee hike by private schools since the start of this academic session in April. While some of the schools had rolled back the fee hike after the protests, others have refused to do so.