This step was taken ``in view of complaints from parents alleging arbitrary and exorbitant fees charged by such schools on the plea of implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission report.''

The director of education has directed authorities of such schools not to realise registration fee more than Rs 25 and admission fee more than Rs 200.

Caution money or security deposit should not be more than Rs 500 and no separate science or computer fee should be taken from students up to the secondary stage.

Moreover, such schools should not use the tuition fee collected to recover capital expenditure incurred on the properties of the society that runs the school.

The director of education in his order on September 10 last year had directed the management of these schools to continue with the rates of tuition fees as on March 31 last year. However, the order was challenged on December 11, 1997, in the Delhi High Court which permitted unaided schools to enhance the fee.

However, the court in its October 10 order has upheld the order of the director last year. The director, following directions of the high court will also audit the accounts and will conduct inspection of private unrecognised schools as per the provisions of Delhi School Education Act, 1973, a Delhi Government spokesman said.

In a related development, the action committee of the Recognised Unaided Schools met at Bal Bharti Public School premises this evening. T.R. Gupta, committee president, said: ``The tuition fee alone will not be sufficient to pay off all the liabilities of the schools, including increased salaries, property tax, water tax, electricity bill at commercial rates. Also, the decision to prohibit schools from spending money on properties of the society will seriously handicap private initiative in education''.