Parents from Gurgaon have now decided to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the state government’s decision to allow four city schools to hike tuition fee. Recently, two city schools, Pathways World School and DPS of Sector 45, got a go-ahead from the additional chief secretary (school education) to raise their tuition fees.
On May 2, the Fee and Fund Regulatory Committee (FFRC), set up by the government to conduct audits of the schools, had put a stay order on a fee hike by six out of nine schools, after it found that they had sufficient spill-over funds to meet the expenses of the coming sessions. The additional chief secretary overturned the FFRC order after the schools in question appealed to him.
The parents plan to team up with all others affected and move the High Court against the injustice meted out to them by the school authorities. They feel they have not been given a chance to put forth their views in the entire process, whereas it is them who will have to bear the burden of the hike.
Ramphal Sheroan, president of Haryana Abhibhavak Ekta Manch, told City Spidey that all parents from Gurgaon will hold a meeting to chalk out a strategy to pursue a legal battle. The parents allege that their application was not even accepted when they approached the additional chief secretary.
Divya Sabharwal, parent of a student of DPS, Sector 45, said, “These schools have been let off even after the serious deflections from CBSE norms and by-laws. After visiting the district administration, we felt that they, too, were favouring the schools.”
Meanwhile, the schools have also started issuing intimations to parents for the payment of the revised fees. The parents from DPS Sushant Lok have confirmed thus, despite a stay order by the FFRC.
