The Cambridge School Parents’ Association (CSPA) met GB Nagar DM over the issue the school holding back report cards of around 100 children from various classes due to non-payment of hiked fees.
According to K Arunachalam, CSPA general secretary, the school management issued a notice to parents to pay hiked annual charges totalling Rs 10,000 within a week. This, he added, was illegal since a circular released by joint director of education, Meerut, stated that schools could not hike fees unless approved by the UP government.
Parents also alleged that the quarterly fee was hiked from to Rs 35,000 from Rs 20,000 for this academic year. This 75 percent hike, they felt, was totally uncalled for, and was done without taking the parents into confidence
The school management did not have the approval of the UP government to hike fees, said Arunachalam. “If the government had approved the hike, then show us the copy of the letter. The DM advised us to meet the joint director of education, Meerut, Divyakant Shukla. So, we are planning to meet him soon,” he added.
The joint director told City Spidey that the matter of fee hike is being heard in Allahabad High Court, and that schools cannot raise fees unless the court has passed an order to that effect. “Action will be initiated against the school if it is found that it had been holding back the report card due to non-payment of hiked fees,” he added.
When City Spidey contacted AK Bakshi, principal (in-charge) of Cambridge School, he refused to comment, saying he was in a meeting.
