Noida: The district fee regulatory committee (DFRC) in Noida has imposed fines of Rs 1 lakh each on seven private schools for violating the UP Self-Financed Independent Schools (Fee Regulation) Act, 2018.Apeejay School, Sparsh Global School, Ramagya School, Vishwa Bharati School, Sri Chaitanya Techno School and St John’s School were penalised for increasing fees beyond the permitted 7.2% cap for the 2026-27 academic session.Bal Bharati Public School was also fined for failing to upload its fee structure for the 2025-26 academic session on its website and violating composite fee norms by charging separate annual fees. TOI earlier reported that Bal Bharati had issued a notice in June, asking parents to pay an additional Rs 500 per month from July 1 for its 24 air-conditioned classrooms, saying the amount would cover installation, electricity, maintenance and repair costs.On Tuesday, the DFRC meeting chaired by district magistrate Medha Roopam termed the violations as first-time offences under Section 4(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Self-Financed Independent Schools (Fee Regulation) Act, 2018, which regulates annual fee increases in private unaided schools and requires institutions to maintain transparency in their fee structures. The law also bars schools from collecting unauthorised charges outside the approved composite fee and mandates disclosure of fee details on their official websites.“The district administration has adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards violations of the Fee Regulation Act. Schools are expected to maintain complete transparency in their fee structures and comply with the prescribed norms. Any institution found charging fees beyond the permissible limit or violating provisions of the Act will face strict action. Our priority is to safeguard the interests of students and parents while ensuring that the law is implemented in letter and spirit,” Roopam said.The action followed a wider scrutiny initiated by the district administration after it received multiple complaints regarding fee hikes by private schools, a senior official said.Earlier this year, the administration had issued 45 notices to schools that had allegedly increased fees beyond the prescribed limit, directing them to revise their fee structures and comply with the provisions of the Act.“While authorities have imposed penalties on several schools in the past, there should be clarity on how many of them have actually paid these fines. Without transparency on enforcement, such actions lose their significance. We also raised the issue of classes being conducted in school basements, but there has not been any action on that yet,” Yogendra Kasana, president of Noida Parents’ Association, said.
