Karnataka Education Department recommends 30% cut in school fee

The department of public instruction has submitted a report to the government recommending a cut in school fee by 25% to 30% for the current academic year and a final order on the matter expected to be issued in a day or two.

Following the report, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar had also convened a meeting with the department officials. The file recommending fee cut has reached the minister.

Sources in the department confirmed this to DH and said, “There is also a recommendation that the schools, which have collected full fees from parents for this academic year, should adjust the same during the next year’s fees following the government order.”

The sources said, “Some parents have already paid the full fee. For such parents, the schools must give concessions during the next year of the same percentage recommended by the government for this year. At the same time, there are schools which have already considered parents plights and reduced the fees up to 30% and for such schools, this fee cut won’t apply,” they added.

The commissioner for public instruction had recently convened a meeting with representatives from parents’ associations and private schools managements where the parents made a request to the department to reduce fees in a slab-wise manner based on the number of students enrolled.

Yogananda, secretary, RTE Students and Parents’ Association, said, “We had requested the department to fix a slab and reduce fees based on the number of admissions. For example, we said no fee concession is needed for schools with less than 250 students and for schools charging Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 we have requested for 10% cut in the fees.”