Noida schools told to upload fee structure on their websites

NOIDA: The district-level fee regulation committee on Saturday asked all private schools in Noida and Greater Noida to post their fee structure on their respective school website. A copy of the same fee structure would also need to be submitted to the district inspector of schools. There are 139 registered CBSE schools in Gautam Budh Nagar.

On Saturday, representatives of schools in the district attended a meeting in Noida.

“Stringent guidelines have been issued to the representatives of the schools today about the fee. We have specifically asked them not to frequently change school uniforms and also told them not to direct parents to visit any specific shop to procure the school uniform,” district inspector of schools (DIOS), Gautam Budh Nagar, P K Upadhyay said.

The fee regulation committee, set up to enforce the UP Self-Financed Independent Schools (Fee Regulation) Act, 2018, would meet once every month to hear parents’ appeals against schools.

In order to seek redress from the committee regarding adhoc fee demands, parents would first have to file written complaints regarding fee structure or additional charges with the schools. The schools would have to respond to the parents within 15 days. Failing this, the parents need to approach the committee which would take up the complaints. The committee would hear the parents where school representatives would also be present.

The Act covers all private schools affiliated to any private board including Uttar Pradesh State Education Board, CBSE, ICSE or any school with international affiliations as well which have an annual fee structure exceeding Rs 20,000. The highlights of the Act includes that schools can’t raise fee arbitrarily. They can only increase by 7-8%, that too based on the permission of the committee which will approve by taking into account the consumer price index combined with rise in teachers‘ salary.

Schools can be fined Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh for the first and second time. After this, it may get de-recognised. Admission fee can be charged only when a student joins school.