BY OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 24 May: Acting on the orders of Chief Minister, Dehradun district administration is continuing its strict action against the alleged ‘education mafia’ in the district. Under the leadership of District Magistrate Savin Bansal, the administration has launched a major crackdown, especially after receiving complaints from parents regarding arbitrary fee hikes by several reputed schools. The district authorities have made it clear that there will be zero tolerance for such unfair practices.
For the first time in Dehradun, the education mafia is stated to be facing real trouble as the administration has started taking tough action. After the intervention, many schools have been forced to revise their fee structures. The administration’s strong stand is now acting as a deterrent, and several well-known schools are taking a step back from their earlier decisions of increasing fees without proper reason.
A major case has come to light involving ‘The Presidency International School’, Bhaniyawala. More than 100 parents had complained to the DM about sudden and unjustified fee hikes by the school. When the school management was called by the Chief Development Officer as per the DM’s instructions, they did not turn up.
On checking the records, it was found that the school had valid recognition from Pre-Primary to Class 8 (English medium) only till March 2025. But the management had not applied for renewal of recognition. Despite this, the school was running classes from Pre-Primary to Class 8. Taking serious note of this violation, the district administration has imposed a heavy penalty of Rs 5,20,000 on the school (Rs 10,000 per day for 52 days from April 1, 2025 to May 22, 2025) under Sub-section 5 of Section 18 of the Right to Education Act-2009.
The school management has been instructed to deposit the penalty amount within three days of receiving the notice. If they fail to pay within the given time, the penalty will be recovered as land revenue from the school. This action clearly shows the district administration’s commitment towards transparency and accountability in the education sector.
It may be recalled that in recent years, Uttarakhand has seen a rise in complaints from parents about arbitrary fee hikes, lack of transparency in school administration, and schools running without proper government recognition. The government has taken several steps to control the education mafia, including forming fee regulation committees, regular inspections, and strict implementation of the Right to Education Act.
The administration has also appealed to parents to immediately report any such irregularities so that strict action can be taken. The crackdown is expected to send a strong message to all schools in Uttarakhand that such illegal activities will not be tolerated at any cost.
