Bengaluru, Jun 29 (DHNS) : The High Court on Tuesday directed the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to collect by January 15, 2017, audit reports of private schools with details of their fee structure. It also ordered the department to approve the fee structure for the next academic year by February 15.

Justice Aravind Kumar showed displeasure at the department and deputy directors of public instruction (DDPIs) for not taking any action against schools charging excess fees. The bench said that despite conducting an inspection of the schools, the DPI and the DDPI had failed to take action against the institutions.

Parents of children studying at New Carmel School, Krishna International and Vidyaniketan School had moved the court, claiming that the schools were violating the Karnataka Education Act, 1983, and the Karnataka Education Institutions (Regulation of certain fees and donations) Rules, 1999, by collecting excess fees.

Partly allowing the petitioners’ contentions, the bench directed the schools to collect fees as per the Act and Rule 10(7) of the 1999 rules within a week. The court had earlier directed the parents to deposit 40% of the fees demanded by the schools. Disposing of their petitions, the bench made it clear that schools must refund the excess fee or adjust it in the next academic year. If the fee collected was less, parents must pay the remaining amount.

The bench in its order said private schools must submit their audit reports based on the salary of their faculty, expenditure and the number of students, and submit their fee structure by January 15 for the next academic year. The bench directed the DPI and the DDPI to examine and approve the fee structure through Block Education Officers (BEOs) by February 15 for the next academic year. The court directed the Fee Regulatory Authority to complete the verification of complaints it receives within 15 days.