While addressing a press conference at the Delhi Secretariat, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia came down heavily against private schools for increasing fee. Announcing the withdrawal of the earlier permission granted to Sanskriti School, Mr. Sisodia said, “Kejriwal government will not bow down to any pressure. We are taking this decision based on some serious complaints received from the parents of the Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri." He claimed that the school had increased its fee by almost 75 percent and called the move “unacceptable.”
According to the Deputy CM, lapses were discovered in school’s way of functioning. He said, “Under the system called GAAP, it is necessary to follow a special system of accounting and audit but the Sanskriti School did not follow it. Also, there was no need to increase the fees as the school already had a surplus amount which they gained during 2017-18, due to which their proposal to increase the fee was rejected by the Delhi Government.” He further added, “during the same year, we directed this school to pay the teachers under the Seventh Pay Commission from the surplus amount and not to put this burden on the students. But the school did not comply with this order.”
He also hit out at the school for flouting norms. Citing the Anil Dev Singh Committee recommendation, that fees which were arbitrarily increased by private schools from 2010 to 2012 should be refunded, he accused the school authorities of trying to recover that amount now, from the students by showing it under the school expenses. “The previously overcharged amount cannot be allowed to be shown as an expense,” he said.
He also accused the school of not following the Supreme Court order regarding depositing the development fund in a separate account. “Due to these reasons, Sanskriti School cannot be allowed to increase the fees. Also, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, no school is allowed to collect any amount other than the tuition fee,” he said.
