JAMSHEDPUR: The East Singhbhum district education department will soon issue notices to six private English medium schools facing complaints of steep hike in annual fees. Maintaining that unjustified increase in the annual fee is against the rules of the Jharkhand Education Tribunal (Amendment) Act 2017, the authorities on Wednesday said action will be taken against schools found guilty after investigation.Noting that the department’s Right to Education cell has been asked to send notices to the schools, district education official Shivendra Kumar said the schools have to explain in a week on what basis the annual fee has been increased. He didn’t revealed the names of school. “If at all it is found that guidelines are not being honoured by the schools, action will follow,” Kumar said.With the admission season for 2019-20 academic year commencing from January 21, complaints of fee hike was made by the parents’ outfits to the education department. “Not just hike in the fee for re-admission, but schools have also built pressure on the parents to purchase uniforms and books from a particular shop which is not proper,” said Ankit Anand of Siksha Satyagrah, an NGO who complained against a leading English school in Telco area. He added that some of the schools have increased the fee by as much as 40%.The Jamshedpur Abhivavak Sangh (JAA) told that private English schools hardly honour the guidelines of the JET and the education department should take stern action against them. “The issue is not limited to hike in fees alone but in the matter relating to giving free admission to the economically poor category children under Right to Education Act. English medium schools come up with number of excuses to avoid admitting the deserving ones,” said JAA functionary Umesh Kumar.A functionary of the Jamshedpur Unaided Private English Schools Association said a nominal increase in the annual school fee is not ruled out, but allegations of abnormal hike are unfounded.

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