Delhi: Manish Sisodia orders education dept to act against schools withholding admit cards

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has ordered the education department to look into complaints against private schools withholding admit cards of students for board exams.

In an official order, he said, "Private schools can increase fees only after verification of accounts is complete. But some schools are charging excess fees as well as arrears from parents. Some schools are also using threat of non-issuance of admit cards to force parents to pay hiked fees."

"I have received complaints from several distraught parents about this harassment from schools. The education department should ensure that all children receive their admit cards without delay and an action-taken report is sent to me," Sisodia said.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had earlier this week clarified that schools cannot withhold admit cards of students on any pretext, including poor performance of students in pre-board examinations.

The warning came after several complaints were received by the CBSE about withholding of admit cards by certain schools and in some cases charging of fee for their release.