Officials refute government orders on fee hike, say not applicable on CBSE/ISCE schools

NOIDA/GHAZIABAD: While the Ghaziabad administration held a meeting with management of the Presidium School Indirapuram and the parents protesting against fee hike, an official claimed that a letter by the Joint Education Director (Meerut) issued by the school in January this year is “immaterial” as these orders "don't hold over the CBSE/ISCE schools".
The letter issued by the then JDE (Meerut) Mahendra Dev to the schools on January 11,2017, accessed by TOI, has directed the school not to charge fee under the heads not prescribed by the state government and also refrain from running classes in the basement of the building.
“Through a letter issued by the commissionerate office dated October 26, 2017, directions had been transmitted to all the district inspectors of school (DIOS) of Meerut commissionerate in relation to the fee to be charged under various heads by the CBSE/ISCE schools and the no objection certificate (NOC) issued to them on the same basis and the orders of the state government. Hence, the copy of the letter is also marked to you so that you should not charge the extra fee other than the prescribed heads otherwise, an action according to the rules would be taken against the organisation for which the head of the organisation will be responsible,” reads the letter issued to the school by the former Joint Education Director (Meerut) Mahendra Dev.
When contacted, ADM (Revenue) Ghaziabad Rajesh Yadav said that these orders are not applicable on the CBSE/ISCE schools.
However, when the incumbent JDE Divyakant Shukla was asked if the same was true, he did not give a clear answer.
"These schools are given NOC by us but are affiliated to the CBSE. First the CBSE should take an action against these schools,” he said.
"The government is formulating a policy to regulate the fees charged by these schools. We are waiting for the policy,” he told TOI.
However, officials could not explain why the former JDE directed the DIOSs to take action against the errant schools if they had no control over the CBSE/ICSE schools.
In a letter dated October 26, the DIOS of six districts including Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Baghpat, Hapur, Meerut and Bulandshahr, the JDE had said that it has come to notice that many schools are charging fee under different heads, which are not specified under the rules of the state government.
Through the letter in possession with TOI, he had also directed the DIOSs concerned to take action against any such CBSE/ISCE affiliated schools which indulge in collecting fee under heads other than those included in the above mentioned state order.