A relief for parents — private schools in UP to compensate for 15% excess fees charged during COVID

In a relief for parents of the children enrolled in private schools of Uttar Pradesh, the excess school fess charged during the pandemic will be compensated for.

The government has directed all schools to comply with the Allahabad High Court order of adjusting 15% excess fees taken during the span of COVID and in the academic year 2020-21. The said amount of money will not be reimbursed but adjusted in the on-going academic session. As far as the students who have left the institutes or completed the studies, this fees will be returned to them.

The court order also asserted that the process of refund of fees should be implemented within two months.

"It is made clear that in case any fee has been paid in excess of what has been determined by the Supreme Court in the aforesaid judgment, in the case of the students still studying, the same may be adjusted in the fee to be paid in future. In case of students who have passed out or left the school, the amount may be calculated and returned to those students. Let the entire exercise be done within two months of date," the order read.

Previously, a petition was filed on behalf of many parents regarding the regulation of excess school fees charged during the COVID period. It was on 6 January, 2023 that the verdict was passed by the Allahabad High Court on the basis of several petitions.

Knocksense spoke to some parents of schools in Lucknow and this is what we gathered from a social survey.

"This is a great initiative. Very thoughtful for parents who are trying to make ends meet. I feel highly motivated with this thought," said a parent of a class 11 student of St Francis College.

"If the process is carried out, it'll benefit all but, as history suggests, we do not think any sort of such amendments will take place," said a parent of a class 9 student studying in CMS.

However, the Special Secretary of UP government, Rupesh Kumar, in an order has stated, "If any student/guardian/parent-teacher association is aggrieved by non-compliance of the above instructions, then they should submit a complaint to the District Fee Regulatory Committee under Section 8 of the Uttar Pradesh Self-Financed Independent Schools (Fee Regulation) Act, 2018. The committee will take appropriate decision on their complaint."