Hyderabad: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Delhi, has told the Hyderabad district collector to send a detailed report about the Delhi Public School, Nacharam, which has allegedly been charging very high fees in contravention of government orders.
The investigation report will also have to look into the Hyderabad and Rachakonda police’s reluctance to take action against the school when parents of the children had complained.
Vijay Gopal, the petitioner before the commission, stated that he had filed the complaint with the state commission last year regarding donations demanded by the school amounting to Rs 75,000. “The fee for admission should not be more than Rs 5,000, and refundable. Many schools in the city flout this rule. I filed a complaint against DPS because many parents approached me with concerns about the fees. Parents were also forced to buy books, uniforms and other stationery from the school, which was priced much higher.”
Although most schools in the city flout the same rules, he complained about DPS because of the large number of parents who approached him.
“Three branches of DPS in the city i.e. at Nacharam, Mahindra Hills and Nadergul, are run by the same trust. My complaint particularly mentioned Nacharam. I also hinted at other branches charging high fees.”
Aravinda Jata, a member of the Hyderabad Public Schools Association, says when his child joined DPS Nacharam in Nursery, the fees was Rs 7,000 per term.
“Within a span of eight years, I was being charged nearly Rs 25,000 per term, excluding other fees for extracurricular activities,” he said.
