The Uttarakhand government informed the High Court that it has set up an advisory committee to examine complaints of private schools charging excessive fees from students.
The government also said that parents or guardians can now file their complaints directly with this committee.
The court was hearing a public interest petition filed by Deepchandra Pandey, a resident of Haldwani. He alleged that many private schools in the state have been collecting high and unfair fees from students.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) told the court that it has not received any complaints from students or parents so far regarding this issue.
During the hearing, the Chief Education Officer of Nainital, who joined through video conferencing, said the state government has formed a committee to look into issues related to school fees, uniforms, sports, educational trips, and complaints about schools forcing students to buy books from specific shops.
After hearing both sides, the division bench of Justices Ravindra Maithani and Alok Mahara directed the petitioner to first submit his complaint to the new advisory committee. The court then disposed of the case.
The petitioner argued that school managements force parents to buy books, notebooks, and uniforms from particular shops where the prices are much higher than in the open market.
However, school authorities defended the practice, saying that keeping all materials in one place saves parents time and ensures that the new academic session starts smoothly.
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