New Delhi: Two branches of the private Apeejay School in the capital — in Saket and Sheikh Sarai — were de-sealed according to Delhi High Court orders Tuesday, after the Delhi government’s Department of Education had sealed them Monday night over fee hike complaints.
The schools had increased their fee mid-session for the academic year 2019-20, and were asking for more for the academic session 2020-21 as well. The Delhi government acted against them for not complying with the order not to increase fees during the lockdown, which was passed under the Disaster Management Act.
Apeejay School authorities approached the high court Tuesday and got an order for the branches to be de-sealed. However, the court order is conditional, giving scope to the Delhi government to take action against the schools again, if they don’t comply with the norms.
However, some parents have alleged that there is a “nexus” between the schools and the Department of Education, because of which they were de-sealed within a day.
The schools have suspended online classes for Tuesday, and no official communication has been issued yet regarding the future.
Also read: Schools across India move to Microsoft and Google after govt flags Zoom app security issues
‘Nexus’ with DoE
There have been numerous complaints against Apeejay Schools by parents — some alleged the schools did not let them access online education facilities because they did not pay the hiked fees, while others claimed the management harassed them to pay increased fees.
Meenakshi Kuhad, who has one child enrolled in Sheikh Sarai and another in Saket, and is president of the schools’ combined parents’ association, accused the schools of harassment.
“The schools had been harassing parents for money for a long time. Their audits clearly show that they have excess money, nearly Rs 31 crore, but still they want to charge increased fee,” Kuhad said, adding that she has been fighting against the fee hike for the last one year.
In one of her complaints against the school to the Department of Education, Kuhad wrote: “While the entire government machinery is busy devising the measures and strategies to counter the deadly pandemic of Covid-19, Apeejay School Saket Branch is engaged in harassment of parents as well as the children by way of raising totally unjustified fee bills for the new academic year 2020-21, which as per our knowledge have been raised without necessary approval from your department.”
A parent whose child studies in Apeejay Saket said: “The school had blocked access to online education for my son because I refused to pay the increased fee. I had written letters to the school management but no action was taken.”
ThePrint has accessed the complaint this parent wrote to the school management.
The parent went on to allege: “We think there is some nexus between the government and school management. First the school is sealed, and then the court orders it to be de-sealed.”
Sanjeeb Choudhury, a member of the parents’ association, added: “The school increased the fee mid-session for the academic session 2019-20, and when parents approached the management to roll back the fee hike, they did not agree to it. Later, the school management started harassing the parents in the name of online classes, report cards and other things.”
Choudhury also alleged that “someone in the Department of Education is working for them”.
Asked about the parents’ allegations, Binay Bhushan, Delhi’s director of education, refuted any collusion with the schools.
“We have done everything possible in acting against the school, from sealing to requesting for an FIR… What more could we have done? These parents who are raising allegations have no idea about our efforts,” he said.
On the future course of action against the Apeejay Schools, Bhushan said: “We will decide once we’ve read the court order properly.”
Responding to the ‘nexus’ allegations, an Apeejay Schools spokesperson told ThePrint: “We continue to have faith in the law, and will work closely with visionary government leaders. Our values prevent us from dealing with unscrupulous and anti-social elements and have full faith in our parents, teachers, and stakeholders.”
Also read: No gadgets, no studies: What online classes mean for 16 lakh poor students in Delhi schools
‘Vested interests’
On the broader issue of the fee hike, the Apeejay Schools maintained they were complying with the rules, and “have the support of parents, except those who are motivated by vested interests”.
“Apeejay School Saket/Sheikh Sarai, reiterates that it is on the right side of the law and that the interest of our students is paramount to us. We have full faith in the law of the land and are with the government for all cooperation from our side,” the schools said in a joint statement issued Monday after the government issued orders to seal them.
“Regarding fee, all actions of our school are in conformity with communications received from the Directorate of Education. We have all requisite approvals from DOE to charge AY (academic year) 2019-20 fee. We have certainly not forced or harassed our parents to pay the fee. In fact, we held out a helping hand to those in need, with scholarships,” they said.
“Almost all parents are with us and understand the situation. Only a handful of parents have been complaining, motivated by vested interests. Unfortunately, the current force majeure situation has again promoted them to agitate on the fee issue,” they added.
The schools have said they will issue another statement after Tuesday’s de-sealing order by the Delhi High Court, and this report will be updated when it is issued.
Apeejay Schools come under the umbrella of the Apeejay Education Society (AES), which also owns Apeejay Stya University, a liberal arts university located in Gurugram, Haryana.
Also read: Civil servant-parents of Delhi’s elite Sanskriti School want CAG audit after fee hike