PRAYAGRAJ, Aug. 13 -- Private secondary schools in five Uttar Pradesh districts have come under scrutiny over alleged non-compliance with a rule requiring them to spend at least 75% of their fee income on teachers' salaries, following discrepancies flagged by the state Legislative Council's committee examining the commercialisation of education.

The committee ordered scrutiny of private schools in Prayagraj, Lucknow, Agra, Aligarh and Gorakhpur, and sought a report from the principal secretary concerned within a month, a senior official of the state secondary education department said.

The action followed an examination of financial records submitted by private schools in Prayagraj. The committee also examined schools' income and expend...