Not bound to follow fee hike order, say air force schools

New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS) Two schools run by the Indian Air Force Benevolent Cultural and Educational Society told the Delhi High Court Tuesday that they are not bound to follow its interim order on fee hikes as they do not fall under the ambit of recognised schools of the government.
Replying to a petition before the division bench of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Valmiki J. Mehta, the schools submitted that they are run by the Indian Air Force and are unrecognised and unaided schools and, therefore, the order pertaining to the fee hike did not apply to them.
“The school is for the children of air force personnel and a fee hike is necessary to maintain the quality of education and other basic necessities,” the reply stated.
The court had earlier issued a notice to the schools on a petition from the Delhi Abhibhavak Mahasangh (parents’ organisation), filed through counsel Ashok Aggarwal, who contended that the Air Force Nursery School and Air Force Junior School had failed to comply with the court’s May 28 directive to schools on the procedure to be followed for hiking the fees.
The Air Force Nursery School increased its tuition fee from Rs.475 per month to Rs.1,000 in the first week of July, while the Air Force Junior School raised its fee from Rs.435 to RS.1,100 per month, the petitioner had said.