Schools told to disclose fee structure by July 15

NOIDA: With parents complaining about non-compliance of the UP Self-Financed Independent Schools (Fee Regulation) Ordinance 2018, the additional chief secretary (secondary education) has directed that all such schools ensure the ordinance is followed and they disclose their fee structures on their website or notice board by July 15.
Parents from NCR schools who have been protesting against the “arbitrary fee hike” being charged by most of the private schools in the region for over past two years have complained that none of the schools is following the ordinance and not a single school has issued revised structures according to the ordinance so far.

Under the ordinance, fee revision can take place according to the cumulative percentage index, which would take into consideration the average increment of salary paid to teachers and staff in a school. According to this, fee would not increase by more than 7-8 % annually. The base year for calculation of increase fee is 2015-16 and if parents have paid more than what is required, the extra amount will have to be refunded.

Yatendra Kasana, president, All Noida Schools Parents Association (ANSPA) told TOI that the association of parents had complained to additional chief secretary Sanjay Agarwal about non compliance of the ordinance. “None of the schools is abiding by the clauses of the ordinance. Most of the schools have not disclosed the revised fee structure.” he said.

In Ghaziabad, at least three schools have issued revised fee structure but all of them have increased the fee rather than decreasing.

Following the complaint, a letter has been issued to the director of Madhyamik Shiksha Board stating that in the current year, each school needs to disclose its fee structure 30 days from the date of enactment of the ordinance. The letter also directs the board to provide a list of all those schools by July 15 who have disclosed revised fee structure and those which have not in each district.