92 pvt schools in Ranchi flouted fee hike norms: Officials

Ranchi: The Ranchi administration has found that 92 out of 129 private schools in the district had allegedly violated prescribed norms for fee hikes, after analysis of data for the past three years, officials said on Saturday.Ranchi deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri, who chaired a district-level review meeting with principals and representatives of private schools on Saturday, directed them to adjust the excess amount in the current academic session and submit a detailed fee adjustment plan within 15 days."Parents should not be burdened with arbitrary fee hikes. Schools violating rules must ensure adjustment of the increased amount in the ongoing session," he said.The DC cautioned against arbitrary fee hikes and directed all schools to form parent-teacher associations (PTAs), while assessing compliance under the Jharkhand Education Tribunal Amendment Act, 2017, and the implementation of RTE provisions.Officials said that the district has 149 schools affiliated to CBSE and ICSE, of which 129 have formed PTAs. Bhajantri warned that action would be initiated against the remaining 20 schools that have not submitted information on formation of the associations."Every recognised private school must constitute a parent-teacher association as mandated under the Act. Schools failing to comply will face action," Bhajantri said.Bhajantri also instructed all private schools to ensure 100% admission on reserved seats for economically weaker sections (EWS) and disadvantaged students. He praised schools for their cooperation in the previous academic session and said that an online lottery for admissions would be conducted soon.Officials also urged the schools to spread awareness about digital self-enumeration under Census 2027 through the website: https://se.census.gov.in.