CHENNAI: The interim arrangement of 15 per cent increase in fees over and above that fixed by the School Fee Determination Committee applies to petitioner schools alone. The State government can take action against any other school that demands higher fees, the Madras High Court clarified on Wednesday.A division bench comprising justices R Banumathi and S Vimala also made it clear that the said 15 per cent increase was subject to the final order to be passed by the committee, before the end of this year.The bench directed the government to issue necessary circulars to all the private unaided schools, including minority and non-minority, regarding this and ensure strict compliance.Disposing of the clarification petition from the State, the bench said, even the petitioner schools should not seek to collect the 15 per cent increase for the previous academic years.It was mandatory that the petitioner schools covered by the May 3 order should display on their notice boards the fee earlier fixed by the committee and the number of the writ petition and the revised fee to be collected by virtue of the high court order, separately showing the amount payable towards 15 per cent increase. The notice should also specify that the 15 per cent increase was subject to the final decision of the fee committee, the bench added.Receipts must be issued by the petitioner schools for academic year 2012-13, indicating separately the fee to be collected as per the committee’s original order and the 15 per cent increase as well as the total amount, the bench added.The government should ensure that the notice board of the offices of the District Educational Officer displayed the names of the petitioner schools covered under the May 3 order. “If any school other than the petitioner schools collects higher fee... the government is at liberty to take appropriate action against the erring schools,” the bench added.
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