No private school is allowed to increase school fee during the lockdown. Only the tuition fee will be charged until the time schools reopen considering the financial crisis due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced in a digital press conference.
“We are receiving complaints from many parents that private schools have increased their fees. These schools have also not notified the Delhi government. Costs like transportation fees are being added and demanded by the schools. Also, students failing to pay the fees on time are being dropped from online classes. Private schools should not stoop down to this level,” Sisodia said.
Main instructions by the Directorate of Education, Delhi Government for private schools:
- Private unaided schools cannot increase the school fee in the academic sessions 2020-21 till further instructions regardless whether the school is running on private land or the allotted by DDA/other Govt land-owning agencies.
- The schools running on the land allotted by the DDA/other land-owning agencies will not be allowed to increase fees without government approval and shall collect the tuition fee on the basis of last fee structure approved by Director (Education) or as per the fee statement filed by them under S.17(3) of Delhi School Education Act, 1973 during academic sessions 2015-16.
- Private unaided schools will not stop or terminate online classes for students.
- All students will have access to online learning facilities, even if they fail to pay the tuition fee.
- Managing Committee or Heads of schools cannot create any new head of fee.
- Private unaided schools cannot stop payment of monthly salary including the contractual ones to the teaching and non-teaching staff. In case of non-availability of funds, they can reach out to their parent organisation.
It is clarified that failure to comply with the above will result in action under Delhi School Education Act and Section 51(b) of the National Disaster Management Act, 2005. Notably, aย petition to stop schools from charging increased school fee was filed recently before the Delhi High Court.
