‘Composite’ fees? Noida schools' parents seek details

NOIDA: Days after the administration issued a set of guidelines for payment of school fees, parents have been crying foul over institutions charging a “composite” fee, a flat charge without any break-ups of heads, that some have been asked to pay up.
Asked about the issue, Basic Siksha Adhikari (BSA), Gautam Budh Nagar, Dhirendra Kumar, said: “Schools have been asked to charge a composite fee only at this time. In case a school is overcharging and asking for a transport fee or threatening to remove a student from the rolls, parents can directly reach out to us and we will take action.”
Composite fee is charged regularly under a fixed head as per the Uttar Pradesh Independent and Self-Financed Fee Regulation Act (2018). It includes tuition and charges for fixed activities. The activity part is 30-35% of the bill.
For example, if a composite bill is Rs 10,000, the tuition fee part is around Rs 7,000 and the rest of it is for yoga, music, art and craft and other activities. The Uttar Pradesh Government has mandated self-financed and independent schools to levy only composite fees for April, May and June.
Currently, the government has waived off all optional fees, including transport charges.
A spokesperson of Apeejay School, Noida, said: “We are operating as per the state government guidelines. All kinds of activities are being offered to the children.”
Officials at Cambridge School, Noida, said they are also offering similar classes online.
Parents, however, said that the composite fee is a burden. “Why should a school charge so much over and above the basic tuition fee? Parents are overburdened at this time. Some have lost jobs, for some, there have been salary cuts,” Manoj Kataria, a parent, said.
Some have also said that several Delhi schools charge less than Noida schools and often, the same school has a lower charge in Delhi compared to Noida.
“Seems like the schools are justifying themselves by offering these activities to be able to charge the composite fee. In reality, we know that the quality of the online classes and these virtual activities are compromised. How much can you do on a screen? Children are just being forced to put in the hours in front of the screens,” K Arunachalam, a parent of Cambridge school and general secretary of All Noida School Parents’ Association (ANSPA) said.
But both Noida and Ghaziabad parents have been pressing for a complete fee waiver for the first quarter