E-Paper
Private schools in Jammu and Kashmir barred from hiking fee unilaterally
The committee, a statutory body headed by a retired judge, said that “complaints are pouring in” alleging that the private schools of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir are charging fees in excess of what was approved by the committee.
The Jammu and Kashmir’s Fixation and Regulation of Fee Committee (FFRC) has barred private schools of the union territory from unilaterally hiking fee as the new academic session started from March-April this year instead of November-December, 2022.
The committee, a statutory body headed by a retired judge, said that “complaints are pouring in” alleging that the private schools of the UT of J&K are charging fees in excess of what was approved by the committee.
“It is also alleged that the schools in violation of orders of the committee are making unilateral hike in fee structure at exorbitant rates and also charging admission fee from students and parents, restrained by the statute,” said a circular by committee chairperson justice Sunil Hali (retd) issued on Wednesday.
The Committee for Fixation and Regulation fee of Private School is a statutory body constituted under Section 20 A of the Jammu and Kashmir School Education Act, 2002, for the purposes of regulating and determining the fee in private schools in the union territory of J&K.
This year the schools in Kashmir witnessed a change in academic session holding exams in March to coincide with Jammu division.
The committee said that each private school has to place the proposed fee structure with all relevant documents and books of accounts before it for scrutiny.
“The proposal for fixation, determination and regulation of fees for the next year shall be submitted three months before the next academic year starts,” it said and stressed that the rules empower the committee to fix, determine and regulate the fee structure.
It said that no private school association or individual school is competent to make a hike in any kind of fee charged by the school without permission of the committee. “No organisation (government/private) is competent to fix and regulate fee of in a private school...Now therefore, in view of above, it is impressed upon all the private schools of UT of Jammu and Kashmir not to make any unilateral hike in any kind of fee without permission of the committee,” it said.
The committee asked all stakeholders, including parents and school management, to approach it for redressal of grievances regarding fee structure if any.
It cautioned of action if any school unilaterally hikes fee, saying it can recommend to the appropriate authority to bar the private school from taking any new admission for next academic year or to impose a fine equivalent to 10% of total revenue generated by the private school/society in the preceding year.
