DM-headed panel to look into complaints on school fee hike

NOIDA: Deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma on Monday met a delegation of parents protesting an “arbitrary” fee hike in schools and informed them that a six-member regulatory committee will be formed at the district level to look into their complaints.
With the UP fee regulatory bill getting clearance from the cabinet last week, the parents had demanded that a fee regulatory committee be formed at the district magistrate-level rather than the commissionerate-level to act on complaints filed against private schools. Adelegation of the All Noida Schools Parents Association (ANSPA) met Sharma around 7pm on Monday. Sharma, who also holds the charge of education, informed the parents that the bill was cleared by the cabinet last week and that the new panel will look into the parents’ allegations.

Vikas Bansal, vice-president of ANSPA, told TOI that the committee will be headed by the DM in each district. According to the parents, Sharma directed Gautam Budh Nagar DIOS P K Upadhyay, additional chief secretary Sanjay Agrawal and GB Nagar DM B N Singh to ensure compliance of the fee bill.

“He has asked them to take action against the schools that do not follow the provisions of the ordinance and asked the DM to meet the parents on August 17 and take complaints from them against the schools,” he said.

Confirming the change, Singh said, “The deputy CM said the bill was passed by the cabinet with the provision of the fee regulatory committee, which was to be constituted at the commissionerate level changed to the committee at the district level. We will first call a meeting of the parents and then the schools.”

The administration is also waiting for a gazette notification after the bill is passed by both the Vidhan Sabha and the Vidhan Parishad.