Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia hails SC order on private schools

New Delhi: Terming the Supreme Court's order on private schools as "historic", Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday warned that Delhi government will take strict action against those schools which don't comply with the apex court's judgement.

Sisodia, who also holds charge of the Education department, said private schools should focus on teaching students rather than making education a business.

Addressing a press conference, he said that there are several discrepancies in fee and admission of private schools and said that Delhi government wants them to get transparent in their admission processes and fee hikes.

The Deputy Chief Minister's remarks came hours after the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal of committee of private unaided schools, located on land alloted here by DDA, challenging a Delhi High Court order asking them to take government's prior nod before hiking fees.

Hailing the court's order, the Deputy CM said, "We don't have personal enmity with private schools and are also not against them. Government just wants to keep their (schools) free and admission process in a transparent manner."

He said that private schools cannot harass parents in the name of fee and asserted that despite the SC's order, if schools don't follow rules, government has several tools to take strict action against them.

Sisodia said that government will support fee hikes if the processes are transparent and has proper rationale behind the move.

He also said that in 2004, SC had also ordered private schools to comply with terms and conditions in their land allotment letters, but it was never implemented by the previous government.

"If they have some issues with the terms and conditions in their land allotment letters, they can return this land to government and we can run a good school," he said.

Sisodia said that in a recently-conducted audit by government-appointed CAs, it was revealed that most private schools had surplus funds of up to Rs 5 crore.

"If they have surplus funds, why there is a need to pile up money and harass parents. If they don't have enough expenditures, why they are demanding to increase fees.

"We are not talking about closing private schools. We are not creating disturbance in the functioning of private schools, but if you (schools) have a pile up of Rs 5 crore, why they are charging exorbitant fees from the parents," the Deputy CM told reporters.

He also warned that if privates schools think that they can take land worth crores of rupees from government and then don't follow terms and condition in allotment letters, we will not allow you to charge exorbitant fees, adding that this will not happen in this government.