New Delhi: Private schools in Delhi may decide on the fees but should spend them only on development of institutes and not for "buying Mercedes" or expanding their "teaching shop empire," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Tuesday.
The Delhi Education Minister said he has an "objection" if education is turned into a "teaching shop".
"My concern about private schools where fees are high is whatever amount you take from students should be spent on the same school. If you are spending the money on the same school, then I am not bothered about how much you charge. But if you charge students and then buy Mercedes cars or built luxurious homes... and spread your empire in different states and cities, then its bit problematic. Don't do this by using the fees of these students, use some other source of income," Sisodia said.
"Education is not a teaching shop. We will not allow this to happen and that's our commitment," he asserted.
Sisodia was responding to a question asked by a student over the high fees charged by private schools and quality of education in government schools at a function organised by Bharat Ahshara Social Organisation (BASO), an NGO working to build mohalla libraries and clinics.
The Delhi government had recently pulled up two private schools and ordered them to roll back the fee hike.
The private schools in the national capital have been asked to submit their proposals of fee hike to Department of Education for prior sanction latest by May 7.
Sisodia said the AAP government has been working hard to improve the quality of education in schools. He also noted that not all private schools have good teaching standards.
"There is a (high) fees problem in private schools. I work only on one principle that education should be good in government schools. Not all private schools are imparting good education," he said.
Sisodia also said he once found that Hindi medium students of Class X were not able to read properly.
"I have been working hard on government schools. I had been to Class X of a Hindi medium school and students there were not able to read. This is unfortunate. Some schools are doing really well. Our teachers in the government schools are talented, but the atmosphere is a bit of problem," he said.
