New Delhi: With the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 10 board exams set to begin on February 17, three students of Apeejay School have allegedly been denied their admit cards over non-payment of hiked fees, triggering panic among parents and a political slugfest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The school principal has also issued a statement responding to the allegations.
Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj accused private schools of "blackmailing" parents. "With board exams around the corner, some schools have resorted to complete hooliganism. Students, including a national-level athlete, have had their roll numbers withheld," he told NDTV.
Responding to BJP's allegation that AAP was responsible for fee hikes, Bharadwaj said, "The BJP government and private schools will not be allowed to indulge in hooliganism." He also alleged that students were forced to wait outside schools for hours while the government remained silent.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva hit back, saying AAP leaders were attempting to project the issue as widespread across private schools in the capital. "This pertains to a fee hike implemented by Apeejay School back in 2020. It has nothing to do with the current BJP government," he said.
Sachdeva added that the issue has persisted for nearly five years and noted that last year too, students received relief only after intervention by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. He asserted that under the new education law in Delhi, no private school can withhold CBSE board exam roll numbers.
Parents Say Approved Fees Paid, Hiked Amount Disputed
According to parents, the school has refused to issue the admit cards citing "outstanding dues" running into lakhs, even though they claim to have paid the fees approved by the Directorate of Education (DoE). An email sent by the school principal to one of the parents states that Rs 6,52,037 must be cleared for the admit card to be released. A copy of the email has been accessed by NDTV.
Harish Choudhary, whose daughter is a national-level shooter, alleged that the dispute dates back four academic years, from 2021-22 to 2025-26, during which the school allegedly demanded increased fees not cleared by the DoE.
"We repeatedly attempted to pay the approved fees through cheques on time, but the school refused to accept them and insisted on the hiked amount," he said.
Choudhary further claimed that he even routed a cheque of around Rs 3 lakh through the District Magistrate (South), which was forwarded to the Deputy Director of Education (South). "The school kept the cheque for three months and then returned it, demanding the increased amount instead," he said.
He also alleged that while the school declined to accept the disputed tuition fee, it continued accepting payments for uniforms, stationery and board exam-related charges via cash and UPI.
In his email to the school after being denied entry to collect the admit card, Mr Choudhary was told that the card would only be issued upon "clearance of outstanding fees dues of Rs 6,52,037".
"We had only today for any hope of action. It's about our children's future," he said.
Apeejay School Principal Statement
In response to the allegations, the Principal of Apeejay School, Saket issued a statement clarifying the school's position.
"Apeejay School, Saket has always been a law-abiding institution, upholding the values of honesty, integrity, and commitment in its larger vision of Man-Making and Nation-Building. We are deeply grateful to the vast majority of our parent and student community who have stood by the school and supported its principled stand in the face of recent developments.
The present issue pertains to outstanding school fees amounting to over Rs. 21.29 lakhs of four students, with dues pending for a period of two years for one Class 12 student and for rest for a period of five years. All other 147 parents of students of Class 10 and 12 have been paying the school fee. The concerns now being raised by parent of 3 students out of a total of 151 students of Class 10 and 12, reflect their Closed Mindset due to their some Unknown agendas towards the sincere efforts made by the school to amicably resolve the matter within the ambit of Law despite prolonged non-payment of dues." the principal said.
"We also reiterate that in 2024, in a similar situation, the Hon'ble High Court intervened and directed the concerned parents to clear the full outstanding fees prior to issuance of Admit Cards, following which the dues were paid and the Admit Cards were issued. Apeejay School, Saket continues to act in accordance with the law, fairness, and established judicial directions.
The school applies its policies uniformly and without discrimination. At the same time, we remain sensitive to genuine cases of financial hardship and have extended scholarships and support wherever warranted. In fact, one of the students appearing for the upcoming CBSE examination has already been issued the Admit Card on humanitarian grounds as parent had requested for Consideration." he added.
Students Left Waiting At School Gates
One of the affected Class 10 students said they waited at the school campus for nearly two hours after being informed that admit cards would be distributed on Saturday morning.
Ajit Awasthi, another parent, said he received a message to collect his son's admit card before 10am on Saturday. "We reached at 8.30am but were not allowed inside. We waited for nearly three hours. Calls to the class teacher and reception went unanswered," he alleged. His son's Mathematics exam is scheduled tomorrow.
Anil Rawat, whose child studies in Class 12, claimed he had earlier paid Rs 2.4 lakh including interest and penalties, under pressure when his daughter was in Class 10. "The approved DoE fee was around Rs 1 lakh. I cannot pay nearly Rs 3 lakh again. Now the admit card has not been issued. What our children are going through, only we know," he said.
DoE Timeline Shows Limited Fee Hike Approval
The parents have approached the Public Grievance Commission. Documents viewed by NDTV show that fee hike proposals by the school were rejected multiple times between 2017-18 and 2019-20.
No proposals were processed during the Covid period (2020-21 and 2021-22). A five per cent hike was accepted for 2022-23. For 2023-24, a proposal was submitted but no order was issued. For 2024-25 and 2025-26, no proposals were examined or called due to a stay order in an ongoing writ petition (WPC 5743/2024).
Meenakshi Kuhar, a parent association representative, said the matter is currently sub judice. "The Directorate of Education has told us the school cannot stop a child from appearing in exams. If the approved fee has been paid, how can they deny admit cards? The court will decide on the hike," she said, alleging lack of communication from the school.
NDTV made multiple attempts to contact the school's principal, Dr. Sujeet Eric but did not receive any response.
As anxious families await resolution, the immediate concern remains unchanged, whether the affected students will be able to sit for their board exams beginning tomorrow.
