The burden on the pockets of parents teaching children in private schools of capital Lucknow will increase from the next academic session. The Unaided Private Schools Association held a meeting and decided to increase the fees from nursery to class 12 by up to 12 percent. Schools can increase the fees up to this limit according to their own.
According to the association, the fees are being increased as per the prescribed formula of Uttar Pradesh Fee Regulation Act 2018. In this, the fee can be increased by adding the average of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and five per cent fee hike in the annual composite fee in private schools. The CPI average for this academic session from the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation is 6.69 per cent. According to the Act, the fee can be increased up to 11.69 percent by adding five percent to it.
There are 250 schools under the Unaided Private Schools Association. Apart from this, the number of private schools in the district is close to one thousand. About four to five lakh children study in these. Association President Anil Agarwal said that the decision on fees has been taken according to the formula of the Act. During this CMS Founder Jagdish Gandhi, Association Secretary Mala Mehra, Treasurer Rachit Manas, Spokesperson Khwaja Saifi Yunus etc were present.
Fees were increased after knocking the door of the court
Due to the Corona period in the year 2020, the government had banned the fee hike, which continued till 2021. In the year 2022, the organization of private schools moved the court. After this, the fees increased by nine percent in the current academic session. It has been decided to increase it to 12 percent from next year. It was also decided to organize an inter-district literary and sports competition in the meeting. In this, the children of the schools affiliated to the association will show their talent.
Fees should be decided with the consent of DM
Pradeep Kumar Srivastava of Guardian Welfare Association says that there is a provision in the Uttar Pradesh Fee Regulation Act 2018 that the fee will be increased only when the committee headed by the DM agrees on it. From whom has the association taken permission to increase the fees? It is not right to increase fees without permission. This should be investigated.
If there is an objection to the decision, you can complain
District Magistrate Suryapal Gangwar says that according to the Act, the association of school operators can take a decision on increasing the fees. If the hike is proposed more than this, then it will have to be kept for discussion in the meeting of the committee formed to take the decision. Fees can be increased more than the instructions given in the Act only after the permission of its members. If anyone has any objection to the increased fees, then he can complain to the committee or DIOS.