Delhi: DOE Orders School Not To Expel Students For Unpaid Hiked Fees & Withdraw Unapproved Increase

The Delhi Directorate of Education ordered Maharaja Agrasen Model School to reinstate students expelled for unpaid fees and withdraw unapproved fee hike notices since 2022.

The Directorate of Education, Delhi on Monday directed the Maharaja Agrasen Model School in Pitampura not to expel students for not paying fees that were increased without the department's approval. The department also ordered the school to withdraw notices related to the fee hike since 2022 and ensure that no student suffers academically or faces mistreatment due to unpaid fees. Additionally, students expelled over the issue must be reinstated.

In Delhi, all private unaided recognised schools on government-allotted land must obtain prior approval before raising fees. 

On Monday, parents of students at Maharaja Agrasen Model School, Pitampura protested against the school’s annual fee hikes outside the Old Secretariat, New Delhi. Parents allege that the school has been increasing fees by 18-20% each year (except in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic), despite repeated rejections from the Department of Education (DOE).

Parents have reported that Maharaja Agrasen Model School has issued School Leaving Certificates (SLC) to students in critical grades, specifically X and XII, despite these families having paid fees in accordance with the approved structure set by the education department. Additionally, over 200 students, most of whom have been adhering to the valid fee structure approved by the Directorate of Education, have received legal notices from the school for unpaid fees.

ABP LIVE has learned that the school fees, which were Rs 3,725 per month for the 2017-2018 academic year, have now risen to Rs 6,465 for 2024-2025, marking a significant increase of Rs 2,740 over seven years—a hike of approximately 73.5%.

Speaking with ABP LIVE, concerned parent Ramandeep Pasricha, said, "The school raises fees by 20% every year, and even though the DOE rejects their hikes, the school continues to collect the increased fees. Education is becoming unaffordable for the common man."

The parents claim that despite official orders from the DOE, the school continues to implement the fee hikes without facing any consequences. They further accuse government officials of inaction, leaving their concerns unheard.

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