64 pvt schools should refund excess fees to parents: panel to HC

Apr 05, 2013

The judicial panel, set up by the Delhi High Court, has recommended that more than 60 schools have to refund the excess fees charged by them in 2009 without paying salaries to their teaching and non-teaching staff as per the Sixth Pay Commission.

A three-member committee headed by former Rajasthan High Court Chief Justice Anil Dev Singh, set up last year, has examined the financial records of 200 schools on a random basis out of total 1172 schools and submitted its first interim report before the bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Siddharth Mridul yesterday.

The committee said in its report that 64 schools "unjustly" increased fees and recommended that all of them refund the same with 9 percent interest to the parents.

As per the panel report, the group of Guru Harkrishan Public Schools, including the one on Purana Qila Road, Hargovind Enclave and Vasant Vihar branches, Guru Nanak Public School in Pushpanjali Enclave, Guru Teg Bahadur Public School in Model Town and others have to refund the extra fees with interest to the parents.

"The committee, therefore, recommends that the schools be directed to refund the increased monthly fee with effect from September 2008 till the date of actual refund along with the interest at the rate of 9 percent per annum. The school should also refund the arrear of fees recovered from the students along with the interest of 9 percent," the panel said.

"Since the annual fee of the school is increased by about 10 percent every year, there would be a ripple effect in the fee for the years subsequent to 2009-2010....," the report also said.

with thanks : Indian Express : LINK