Govt Stops Private Schools From Charging Admission Fee

Srinagar: Amid an outrage against profiteering by some private schools, the government has barred charging admission fee from students taken into the privately-run educational institutions.

The school fee fixation committee (SFFC) of the state government’s education department has ordered the privately-run schools to stop asking students to pay any fee for enrollment and make public their existing tuition fee structure on respective websites and on school notice boards.

“The private schools shall not charge any admission fee from the students, parents/guardians, except tuition fee, annual fee and transport fee and other volunteer fee for picnic, tour and excursion,” reads the SFFC order issued Monday.

“The schools should send a copy to the concerned CEO (Chief Education Officer) and director school education besides the administrative officer of the SFFC,” reads the order issued by the committee.

In the same order, the SFFC has however allowed the private schools to hike the tuition fee by six percent based on August 2018 fee structures.

Private schools have been directed to get their accounts audited by a qualified charted accountant giving full details of fees received throughout the year.

Complaints had been pouring in against private schools for arbitrarily raising the monthly tuition fee after commencement of new academic session in November last year.

“The private school which intends to revise fee structure more than the prescribed ceiling of 6 percent will have to apply for approval from the SFFC,” the order says.

“However, the 6 percent restriction will not apply to the schools charging tuition fee less than Rs 1000 per month and annual fee less than Rs 6000 every year.”

The private schools have also been asked to furnish details of the fee structure as it existed on August, 2014.

The government has also decided to bar new school with a proposed fee structure of more than Rs 1000 as tuition fee per month and RS 6000 per annum.

“The school will be started only after its fee structure is approved by the SFFC,” the order reads.

The schools have been asked fix the fee structure on the basis of expenditure incurred by them on academic, curricular and extra-curricular activities.

“The fee should be charged commensurate to the facility provided to the students and should not include the charges on the facility not availed by the students,” the SFFC order reads.

The private schools have been directed to return all the fees to the students on pro-rata basis in case any child leaves the school due to transfer of parent to any distant area of on health ground.

“The fee should be returned within 60 days of the application submitted by the students,” the order reads.