Parents protest against DPS fee hike

Around 150 parents protested outside Delhi Public School, Mathura Road on Thursday against “arbitrary” fee hike by the school, despite an order by the Directorate of Education.

Parents gathered outside the school at 7 am and held a “silent” protest outside the school and even presented a bouquet to the principal.

The school has hiked the fee by 17.4 per cent in the new academic session, after which the parents met Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia who ordered the school to roll back the hike.

Awaiting response
 As per the order issued by the High Court and the Delhi government, all private unaided schools running on land provided by government cannot increase the fee more than 10 per cent and without the prior sanction of Education department.
The school last week has written to the DoE, explaining their position and are awaiting a response.

 “The fee hike during the last six years is 200 per cent and there has not been much change in facilities provided. It puts a lot of burden on parents, especially those who have two kids in the same school,” said a parent who did not wish to be identified.
Matter pending with DoE.

However, another parent said that the matter is pending with DoE and they are taking time to come to a solution.

“The principal told us that the school has already written to the DoE. If the department does not resolve the issue soon, we will do a protest against it also,” she said.

 School Principal Manohar Lal said that the school has no option but to increase fee as it is “burdened” by funding the education of students under EWS category.

 “We have not received a single penny from the last two years from the government for EWS admissions. And if we receive, that amount is very less to meet the expenses of the EWS students. Plus there are other expenses such as arrears under seventh pay commission.

“We have also upgraded the infrastructure in last nine months,” the principal said.
 He explained that though schools on land given by government cannot raise the fee without the permission from DoE, DPS, Mathura Road was allotted land by Land and Development Office (L&DO) in 1960s.

 “The conditions in the lease given to us were different than those in land given by DDA. There was no such condition of seeking prior approval of DoE,” he said.
 Recently, private schools were under Delhi government scanner after scores of parents from different schools met Sisodia, who also holds the Education portfolio, to raise the fee hike issue.

 Since then at least seven schools have adhered to the order, reversing the hike.