Private schools looting people with arbitrary fee hikes, says Atishi, asks for CAG probe

NEW DELHI: AAP leader Atishi on Monday accused private schools in New Delhi of implementing significant fee increases after the BJP government took control of the city. She demanded a CAG audit of schools and alleged schools were taking advantage of the new administration to raise fees arbitrarily.During a press conference, Atishi stated that many schools have begun increasing their fees substantially since the BJP came to power."Private schools have started their loot now that there is a BJP government in Delhi. From the very first day, they began increasing fees by a substantial margin," she said.She highlighted the contrast with AAP's previous governance, where strict regulations controlled school fees."For 10 years, when AAP was in government, there was a cap on fee hikes. If any discrepancy was found during audits, schools were asked to return the extra money. In fact, many former students were refunded their fees. Schools were required to seek permission from the Delhi government before raising their fees," she said.Atishi reported receiving numerous complaints from concerned parents about the fee increases."Every day, we are hearing of fee hikes in different schools. Parents are contacting us, writing e-mails, and requesting us to stop this. Why? Because they know the BJP government will not help them," she said.She challenged chief minister Rekha Gupta to address the issue and called for immediate government action."If there is no collusion between the BJP government and private schools, then stop these fee hikes. I request the government to conduct a CAG audit and allow schools to raise fees only after that," she said.The AAP leader emphasized that parents were approaching party leaders seeking intervention against the fee hikes.