Jharkhand Private Schools Accused of Arbitrary Fee Hikes, Forced Book Purchases

Ranchi: The Jharkhand Parents’ Association (JPA) on Saturday submitted a memorandum to deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri, alleging arbitrary fee hike besides forced purchase of books and uniforms from specific vendors by some private schools.

Raising concerns over schools withholding book lists and directing parents to specific shops, the body demanded an immediate crackdown on schools violating educational guidelines.

This practice, the memorandum noted, is a blatant violation of CBSE and ICSE guidelines, which prohibit schools from forcing parents to buy supplies from designated vendors.

JPA president Ajay Rai said, “Several private schools have reportedly increased monthly fees, annual charges, development fees and computer fees by 15% to 30% from the previous year. These hikes have been implemented without any transparency or official approval, placing a heavy financial burden on families.”

The association demanded an emergency meeting of the fee regulation committee, formed by the DC on March 20 under the Jharkhand Education Tribunal (Amendment) Act, 2017, to review the fees of all schools, calling for refund of any excess fees collected, and punitive action against institutes that continue to flout the rules.

“The meeting of the committee has been scheduled for Monday and a letter in this regard was issued to the members a few days ago. If there are cases of fee hikes and other RTE (Right To Education) violations, the committee will take strict action,” Bhajantri said.

The association also demanded the appointment of a district-level nodal officer and a helpline to promptly handle complaints.

The committee has the authority to summon witnesses, audit financial documents, and penalise schools that implement fee hikes without its approval, with fines ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh. The committee also has the power to revoke a school’s recognition, officials said.