HC turns heat on DoE for no action

Education dept did not send notices to 64 erring schools

The Delhi High Court slammed the education department on Friday for not sending notices to 64 erring schools, whose names figured in the Justice Anil Dev Committee’s report last month.

The Directorate of Education (DoE) — which got two weeks in mid-August to send the notices — asked the court to give two more weeks.

The Justice Anil Dev Singh Committee on fee hike had pointed out that 64 unaided private schools have increased fees in an “unjust manner” since 2008.

They have not been paying salaries to their teaching and non-teaching staff according to the Sixth Pay Commission norms, the commission had also found.

Of a total 1,172 schools , the committee members examined the financial records of 200 private schools on a random basis.

It is analysing records of the remaining schools and a report is expected soon. The committee had also accused the DoE for not conducting regular checks on school records.

According to the court order, the DoE is supposed to keep 90 per cent of the amount received from schools and pay a fee of Rs 5 lakh to the chairperson of the Anil Dev Committee, and Rs 2.5 lakh to other two members of the committee.

The committee was formed in 2011 after separate petitions were filed by three NGOs — Delhi Abhibhavak Mahasangh, Social Jurist and Faith Academy.

They had challenged the government’s decision to allow private schools to hike fees.