NCPCR asks govt to take action against 10 pvt schools for fee hike

Bokaro: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) asked the Jharkhand government to take appropriate action against schools which have increased their tuition fees during the Covid-19 pandemic. NCPCR raised concerns after complains about 10 private schools in Bokaro which hiked fees by 15-20 % this session.
Sending a letter to secretary (education) department of school education & literacy, NCPCR asked the department to look into the matter and take proper action against such schools. Increasing school fees is against the advisory issued by NCPCR to private schools during the Covid-19 lockdown on April 04, 2020.
NCPCR, under Section 13 (1) (0) of the CPCR Act, 2005, can inquire into complaints and take suo-moto cognizance in relation to deprivation and violation of child rights.
The letter comes after a resident, Mahendra Ray, in his complaint mentioned the names of the prominent schools of the town. Although the district education department is yet to receive any instruction, district education officer Neelam Eleen Toppo said they were are looking into the matter.
Meanwhile, Bokaro MLA Biranchi Narayan also sent a letter to deputy commissioner Rajesh Singh to complain about private schools increasing the tuition fees and changing course materials to force parents to purchase new text books.
“I have requested the DC to constitute a district and school-level fee regulatory committee to stop arbitrary fee hikes by the schools,” Narayan said.