Noida schools fined ₹1 lakh each for fee violations after parents raise hike concerns

A fee dispute involving private schools in Noida has moved from parent complaints to official action, with seven schools now facing penalties for allegedly breaching Uttar Pradesh’s fee regulation framework.

The Gautam Budh Nagar administration has imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh each on Apeejay School, Sparsh Global School, Ramagya School, Vishwa Bharati School, Sri Chaitanya Techno School, St John's School and Bal Bharati Public School following a review by the district’s fee regulatory panel.

The action comes after authorities examined complaints about fee revisions made for the 2026–27 academic session.

Fee hikes, missing disclosures trigger action

Officials found that several schools had crossed the maximum fee increase permitted by the District Fee Regulatory Committee (DFRC).

For the current academic session, the committee had allowed schools to raise fees by 7.23%, calculated on the basis of inflation-linked adjustments.

Apart from alleged excess fee hikes, Bal Bharati Public School was also flagged for issues related to fee disclosure and collection practices. Authorities said the school charged certain annual fees separately and did not publish its complete fee structure online as required.

The regulations introduced by the committee require schools to maintain transparency in fee-related matters and prevent practices that put additional financial pressure on parents.

These include restrictions on forcing parents to purchase school supplies from specific vendors, changing uniforms frequently without approval and replacing textbooks without valid justification.

45 schools came under scanner

The latest action follows a wider examination of private schools in the district after parents raised concerns over rising education costs.

The administration had earlier sought responses from 45 schools over fee increases that appeared inconsistent with the Uttar Pradesh Self-Financed Independent Schools (Fee Regulation) Act, 2018.

While several institutions either modified their fee structures or provided explanations accepted by authorities, seven schools were found to have failed to address the concerns raised during the review.

Penalty may not end with fine

The ₹1 lakh penalty imposed on the schools is only the immediate action. Authorities will now issue Recovery Certificates to collect the amount.

Under the state’s fee regulation law, repeated violations can attract tougher consequences, including higher penalties and possible action against a school’s recognition.

The law also allows authorities to direct schools to return fees collected beyond the approved limit.

Parents await refund clarity

While the regulations provide for the refund of excess fees in cases where overcharging is established, authorities have not yet announced any refund orders in the current matter.

The administration has also not disclosed how much additional fee each school allegedly collected, leaving parents waiting for clarity on whether they will receive any reimbursement.