Solving private school-related issues Delhi govt's top priority

NEW DELHI: After the election, the issues with the private schools' hike in the fees and resolving the complaints regarding such would get priority in the Delhi government. The government has already ordered an audit of all the private schools.

The government officials said that the private school, in question, has raised its fees, development charges and annual charges by 10 to 15 per cent without informing or taking permission from the government. The Delhi government had ordered an audit of seven years of the school's financial records after receiving complaints from parents.

The official also alleged that in the 2018-19 session, many schools had collected money more than the actual fees. "In some schools, we have ordered the school to return the extra fees within 30 days or face action. Else it has to tell the parents that it'll adjust the extra fees in the coming months," said an official.

This month Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia said he has ordered an FIR against a private school in South Delhi, claiming that authorities were storing 2,500 litres of diesel in the school's basement, causing a potential fire-safety crisis. Sisodia said this was found in an independent investigative raid of K R Mangalam School in Greater Kailash, after complaints by parents of administrative malpractices.

This year Delhi government-run schools improved their performance, making it the best ever, by taking the pass percentage in Class XII CBSE exams from 90% last year to 94.22 per cent this year.

In the results, announced on Thursday, Delhi government schools also performed better than private schools in the city for the fourth consecutive year, with a success 3.5 percentage points higher than the latter.