Method to cap fees unscientific: private schools on KEA

Raising serious objections over the Karnataka Education Act, private schools have said the state government has tried to "fix" the fee, rather than regulate it.

The Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) said the formula used to fix the fee in private schools is unscientific, without considering the current situation and costs.

The KAMS has submitted two objections to the government, but says neither of them had been considered. The state had said that the notified fees to admit students in unaided institutions would vary depending on the location from as low as 70% in town municipalities to 100% in the BBMP.

The association wanted to know if a survey was held to determine the precise geography and noted that the process is unscientific since it will not impact costs on phone, internet, stationary, books, transportation, fuel and insurance.

It also asked for clarity on submitting audit reports since the education department has mandated private schools to submit the fee structure of the forthcoming academic year, with an audit report of its account for the previous financial year, by December 31. The association said it is illogical to ask for the fee structure of the forthcoming year with the financial records of the year gone by, pointing out that the academic year actually ends on March 31.

The 15% cap on annual fee hike cannot just be based on teachers' pay, expenses and the number of students, since other expenses like loans and rent should also be factored in.