Panel to write to boards on fee charts in schools

Child helplines must be displayed at a prominent place

The Karnataka State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) will write to the various education boards seeking that the schools under them display the fee structure on a notice board.

Kripa Amar Alva, chairperson of the Commission, said that she would direct the boards to display the fee structure in a prominent place in every school.

“We are writing to the ICSE, CBSE and state boards so that schools display it ahead of the admissions for the coming academic year. The decision was taken after reports of a protest in front of one of the private schools in Whitefield, Bengaluru, which charged unreasonable fees as per the parents’ claims,” she said.

The schools are also expected to display the numbers of child helplines and contact details of the KSCPCR.

Shashi Kumar D, general secretary, Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said that they have asked the member schools to display the fee structure as per rules.

“It is a much-debated issue about how there is an illogical explanation from the government with regard to fees in private schools. It is known that for the last 15 years at least, there has been no revision in the fee structure prescribed by the government. However, that is no excuse and we have asked the schools to display this list,” he added.

A top official from the Education department said that the proposal for revision of fees is ready to be sent to the government. “Soon, there will be a meeting of top officials in the department and the proposal will be moved,” he added.

Staff crunch

Sources in the KSCPCR said that several initiatives that the commission had been trying to take forward were lacking intensity as they were short staffed.

Even as all the posts are filled, there is a need for more staff, the sources said. “There is dearth of staff. There are only 12 members working in the Commission. It is not just now, but round the year, we get calls. With such little staff, communication becomes difficult,” an official said.