Noida school fined Rs 5 lakh for not giving back ‘excess’ fee

NOIDA: The district fee regulation committee (DFRC) on Saturday imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Apeejay School in Noida’s Sector 16A for not complying with its February order of refunding the excess fees it charged for the last quarter of the 2018-19 academic session. The school has been given time till Tuesday to refund the excess fees and deposit the fine, failing which de-recognition proceedings will be initiated.

“Apeejay School had increased the fees mid-session in January 2019. It was asked to roll back the fee and a fine of Rs 1 lakh was also levied on it. It’s been more than two months and neither the school has refunded the excess fess nor paid the fine of Rs 1 lakh,” district magistrate BN Singh, also the committee’s chairperson, told TOI. “The school has instead moved the appellate authority, which is the UP state regulatory committee. But till the appellate authority gives an order, the DFRC order is binding.”

The DFRC’s action came on the basis of a complaint by All Noida School Parents’ Association (ANSPA) for hiking the quarterly fees by nearly Rs 5,000 “in violation of the UP Self-Financed Independent Schools (Fee Regulation) Act”. “The school has time till Tuesday to comply with our latest order,” the DM said.

When contacted, school principal AK Sharma said, “Apeejay has filed an appeal before the UP state regulatory committee, Lucknow, on April 5, 2019. The matter is sub-judice and it will not be appropriate for us to offer any comment at this preliminary stage. In the interim period, Apeejay School continues to have a dialogue and engage with the local authorities.”

Apart from Apeejay, Cambridge School in Sector 27 was also fined Rs 1 lakh for increasing its fees abruptly, while nine other schools have been asked to reply by Monday. These include Ryan International School, Modern School, Kothari International School and Father Agnel.

“If Apeejay does not comply now, we will again appeal to DFRC and subsequently move the high court,” said Yatendra Kasana, ANSPA president.

Source : The Times of India