AAP government to hire CAs to audit accounts of private schools

The Aam Aadmi Party dispensation, in a bid to rein in fee hike by the private schools operating on the government land, has approved a proposal to hire chartered accountants to facilitate audit of the schools’ accounts in case of complaints.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Delhi Cabinet on Saturday, chaired by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The government has taken this step after distressed parents recently approached it, complaining of fee hike ranging from 20 to 55 per cent. “As per the Delhi Cabinet’s decision, the government will only hire the CAG-empanelled chartered acc-ounts to get accounts of schools running on its la-nd audited. The audit of the accounts will be done if the government recei-ves any complaint from the parents against a particular school,” said a senior government official.

The directorate of education (DoE) had recently warned private schools in the national capital, citing rules that schools running on the government land cannot do so without the prior sanction from the authorities.

In the past, a delegation of parents had met Mr Kejriwal and deputy CM Manish Sisodia and apprised them of “arbitrary” hike in school fees.

Mr Sisodia, who also holds education portfolio, had directed the DoE to take necessary action against the “errant” schools that have not only hiked fees, but also “compelled” students to buy books from private publishers.