Nursery admissions: SC orders schools on public lands not to hike fee without government approval

Source:- indianexpress.com

In a major setback to more than 400 private unaided schools in Delhi, the Supreme Court upheld that schools erected on public land cannot hike fee without approval of the Delhi government. The order assumes more significance due to its timing since the new fee structure by private schools were likely to be announced owing to impending nursery admissions.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India J S Khehar said that schools should shut down and vacate immediately if they are unwilling to abide by the condition on fee hike. According to agreements entered into by over 400 schools with the Delhi Development Authority and the Land and Development deaprtment, a prior permission of the Delhi government’s Directorate of Education is mandatory for enhancing fee.

Since several schools had been breaching this condition, a clutch of PILs were filed in the Delhi High Court, which in January 2016 ruled that private unaided schools cannot hike fee without a prior approval of the DoE. Group of two societies managing private unaided schools had appealed against this order in the apex court, but the bench dismissed the petitions saying the High Court order is “100 per cent correct”.