Ranchi, April 03: Parents in Ranchi are protesting against additional charges imposed by schools under various heads such as annual fees, development fees, and miscellaneous charges.
Schools justified the fees, stating they are necessary for maintaining education quality and infrastructure development.
Several schools, including Chiranjeevi Concept School, Bishop Westcott Girls’ School Namkum, St. Francis School, Sharda Global School, and Argus Kids School Lalpur, have implemented the charges.
Reputed schools like Delhi Public School and Jawahar Vidya Mandir Shyamali have incorporated annual fees into tuition fees.
The school education and literacy department has mandated that private schools must get approval from a designated committee before increasing fees.
The state government warned of action against schools charging readmission fees after the issue was raised by BJP MLA Pradeep Prasad in the assembly.
Education department secretary Umashankar Singh directed all commissioners and deputy commissioners to form district fee committees within 15 days as per the Jharkhand Education Tribunal (Amendment) Act, 2017.
Speaking to TOI, MLA Prasad said, “Despite govt warnings, schools continue to impose additional charges under different names. This issue will be raised again and the govt will take strict action against such institutes.”
Chiranjeevi Concept School principal Sweta Tripathi defended the fees, stating they cover school development expenses, caution money, diary charges, exam fees, photographs, and technical support, with no additional charges throughout the year.
Parents voiced financial concerns, with Rahul Singh, a Class VI student’s parent, saying, “Education costs keep increasing annually. Besides tuition fees, we face various additional charges, making it financially unbearable.”
Another parent, Sangeeta Patel, remarked, “While we understand the schools’ need for infrastructure and quality education, the charges under different categories are excessive, especially for middle-class families.”
Sarita Dubey, whose child is in Class IV at Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Shyamali, noted post-pandemic fee hikes, saying, “Previously, the school charged annual fees separately but now, tuition fees have been doubled from around Rs 2,000 to approximately Rs 4,000, possibly including the annual fee.”
