JOIN USRajasthan schools protest over fee control by govt
A majority of private and missionary schools in Rajasthan observed a shutdown on Thursday in protest against fixation of school fees under Rajasthan Private Schools Fees Regulation Act 2013.
Private school owners are seeking a review of the act and participation of their managements in fees regulatory committee.
Taking a strong stand against the protest by private schools Education Minister Kalicharan Saraf said that private schools were charging hefty fees.
“Private schools are looting the parents. Schools are forcibly charging hefty fees from the parents, which has no justification. Fees regulatory act and the regulatory committee are functioning on the direction of Rajasthan High Court. They will regulate and fix the fees of private schools on the basis of their expenditure, level of education and facilities given to students,” said Saraf.
The fees at 250 schools have been fixed, while objections have been invited from 21,524 schools. In another month their fee structure will also be fixed, he added.
The minister informed that a PIL was earlier filed in Rajasthan High Court which admitted that private schools were charging heavy fees without any justification.
The court also directed the constitution of a committee under the chairmanship of retired judge to restructure the fees of private schools.
The minister said the state government was not intervening in the work of regulatory committee constituted by the court, but it was keeping tabs.
“The committee doesn’t intent to fix a particular amount for all the schools. Rather each cases is being studied individually. If a school has high expenditure, the fees will be fixed accordingly. But many of the high profile schools are not even ready to present their annual accounts before the regulatory committee,” said Saraf.
Today parents are compelled to buy schools dress, shoes and other accessories at unusually high price from schools themselves. Such practices are not justified, he added.
Satyavrat Samvedi, who heads the provincial association of private schools said the closure for a day was aimed at expressing displeasure over fees committee’s arbitrary revision of fees. However, no school management was ready to talk on the issue fearing action from the state government.
The outgoing Congress government had passed the fee regulatory act, followed by the rules framed in September 2013.