Fee Fixation Committee Directs A Private School To Return Admission Fee To All Parents

SRINAGAR: Retired Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, who is Chairperson “Committee for Fixation & Regulation of Fee of Private Schools J&K (FFRC) Thursday directed management of Foundation World School, Humhama Budgam to return and refund Rs 50,000 to a complainant and all other parents from whom Admission Fee has been charged and collected within fifteen (15) days and submit compliance report.

Chairperson FFRC, Retired Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar passed these directions after taking cognizance of the complaints filed by a couple of parents alleging that a private school from Humhama Budgam namely Foundation World School charged and collected Admission Fee from them against the violation of government orders.

The parents as per news agency Kashmir News Trust in their separate complaints to FFRC had alleged that Foundation World School, Humhama is charging full fee including the Transport Charges from the parents. It was also stated in the complaint that parents are paying the fee as per FFRC order but the School Management is not accepting the same. Request was made for taking action against the School and to save the aggrieved parents.

After correspondence with the school management through e-mails, it surfaced that amid justifying their action the School Management admitted that Admission Fee was received from the complainant on 13.05.2019 and justified its action on the ground that same was received before 31.10.2019, on which date the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act’ 2009 was made applicable to Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

School Management of the Foundation World School has on the one hand hiked its Fee Structure by 6% in the academic session 2019-20 by relying upon a Para of an order of FFRC, and had very conveniently and deliberately given go by to another Para of the same order, which specifically restrained Private Educational Institutions from charging Admission Fee.

The brilliant minds of the School Management have thus deprived the parents of the children studying in their School of their hard-earned money by both the hands. The School Management had no authority to charge and collect Admission Fee from the students/parents in the academic session 2019-20.

Taking all facts into account the Committee for Fixation & Regulation of Fee of Private Schools J&K (FFRC) directed the School to return and refund money to all other parents from whom Admission Fee has been charged and collected within fifteen (15) days and submit compliance report. (KNT)