Several students of Delhi Public School (DPS) Mathura Road were stopped from taking their exam Wednesday allegedly due to non-payment of fees. (Representational Image) Several students of Delhi Public School (DPS) Mathura Road were stopped from taking their exam Wednesday allegedly due to non-payment of fees.
The parents alleged they had not paid the fees as the matter was in court, and the order was reserved since January 27. The Directorate of Education (DoE) had on August 28 last year passed an order saying no fee except tuition fee would be charged during the lockdown and that fee would not be hiked until further directions. DPS allegedly hiked its tuition fee from around Rs 9,000 to around Rs 12,000 per month and was also asking for additional fee.
On Wednesday, as students were to appear for online exams, several parents realised the link had not been sent to them. “We also know that we have to pay the fee, and we have paid for all months except the last three. But they should have informed us that they will not allow our children to sit for exams…,” said a parent whose daughter studies in class 8.
Another parent said they had last paid fees till July and their son was not allowed to sit for the exam Wednesday.
“These are blackmailing tactics to force parents to cough up large sums of money,” he said.
When contacted, principal Deeksha said, “We had come to an understanding with the parents that they did not need to pay the fee being asked by the school. They could pay whatever amount of tuition fee they see fit, and their children would not be stopped from taking exams. But some of them have not paid a single penny. How can this be? Today was just the first exam. These students will be allowed to reappear later, but they have to pay some fee.”
On February 26, parents who are intervening signatories in the HC case had written to the principal on the same matter.
“As you know madam, the hearing in the said case has been completed and order has been reserved to be announced shortly… Now in the given situation, we, the parents, are paying fee as per the above said DoE order, which is very much in existence as on date. It was challenged by DPS society but neither stayed nor quashed by any court,” they wrote.
This fee amounts to Rs 6,460 per month, they said.
The DoE order dated August 28 said, “No fee, except tuition fees will be charged from the parents during the lockdown… No earmarked levies such as transportation charges, etc, will be charged from the parents during the period the schools remain closed.”