Delhi Schools Fees Row: No hike in fees till 8 April, says High Court

Delhi Schools Fees Row: As per the order of the Delhi High Court, private and unaided schools cannot hike fees till 8 April. This is really a welcome news for all those whose children are studying either in a private school or in an unaided schools of Delhi. Fees hike row has been in limelight for quite sometime. There has been many ifs and buts these days regarding the hike in fee. Now, with the order of the High Court, there is a transitory relief for the parents who were supposed to pay the hiked fee as well as the arrears.

The High Court has made it clear for the schools that they are not to hike the fees till 8 April. The order is specially for those schools that are being run on the subsidised land given by the government. Earlier, a single bench of the court ordered on 15 March that the schools can hike fees in order to pay the salary and allowances to all its teachers as per the seventh pay commission. This order was challenged by the government in the High Court. In the appeal made by the government, the double bench of justice S murlidhar and justice I S Mehta ordered that the schools cannot hike the fee till 8 April.

The double bench has asked the government what action they have taken on the proposals of fee hike by the schools. The court has also asked the Department of Education (DoE) to provide the list of the schools that are being run on the subsidised land and has increased the fee by 15%. The court has also said to have a detailed discussion over the school fees hike. The discussion should be held among the government, action committee of the private and unaided schools. The court will give the detailed order on this issue on Monday.

Amid all these events, the government has said that the schools will not be allowed to hike the fee. After the order of the single bench, many of the schools have hiked the fee and parents were asked to pay the hiked fee and the arrears as well. There was disappintment among the parents about the hike in fees, but with the order of the double bench the things have gone a bit normal. The Deputy CM of Delhi has said that the schools are to take the fees as per their expenditure not in an arbitrary manner.