Directorate of Education (DoE) notification issued on Wednesday has made it compulsory for private schools to convene a meeting of the general body of the Parent-Teachers' Association (PTA) before implementing any fee hike. The direction comes after weeks of protests by parents against increase in fees in Delhi's private schools. All private schools, including those who claim to hold PTA meetings on the issue, are required to submit a copy of the PTA resolution to the Directorate within 30 days. In an advertisement issued today, the Directorate has reiterated that all schools that have not yet convened a PTA meeting must do so within the stipulated time to be able to increase fees. Any school that fails to hold the meeting within that period must also roll back the fee hike till such time as the meeting is convened, the DoE stated.
Delhi Education Secretary Rina Ray clarified that the 'general body of PTA' implies not just the PTA's executive council but the entire body of teachers and parents. She said, 'The notification issued in February also said that the PTA must be consulted before any increase in fees but we found that many schools called only a small number of parents sympathetic to the management. Only the PTA executive body is not acceptable to us.' Ashok Aggarwal, president of All India Parents' Association, said, 'Most schools don't even have a proper PTA. They simply involve a few parents in the management instead of involving the entire body.'
