- विज्ञापन -
New Delhi: AAP Leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Atishi on Monday addressed a letter to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta regarding the escalating fees in private schools. She urged the government to issue immediate orders preventing any school from collecting increased fees from parents and guardians until a full audit of the schools’ accounts is conducted.
In her letter, Atishi emphasized the need for all schools seeking a fee hike to have their accounts audited by auditors listed with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) within a set timeframe. She stated that any approval for a fee increase, even as low as 1-2%, should only be granted to schools that can prove their legitimate expenses necessitate such an increase.
Atishi’s letter stated, “Education is not a commercial activity, and profiteering cannot be allowed in private schools. Over the last decade, the previous government led by Arvind Kejriwal and subsequently myself adhered to this principle, not just nominally but in practice. Unfortunately, within the first two months of your government, it seems that private schools have been given free rein to exploit parents at will.”
She highlighted that parents of children enrolled in private schools in Delhi have been protesting outside the schools, as they are being denied entry due to increased fees. Atishi accused the BJP government of allowing private schools to impose unreasonable fee hikes since taking power in Delhi.
“While the AAP government maintained oversight of school fees, the current rise in fees is excessive. If audits indicated improper fee charges, schools were obliged to refund those amounts, even to students who have already graduated. During our decade-long governance, schools needed to undergo audits before implementing any fee increases. However, since the BJP’s ascendance to power, there have been continual reports of fee hikes from various schools,” she added.
Atishi reiterated that strict measures had previously been in place during her party’s administration to control private school fees and voiced concerns over the current situation where parents no longer trust the government to manage these issues effectively.
