by Sabrina Mushtaq
Srinagar
Reiterating its commitment of ensuring fee regulation of all the private educational institutions in the state time and again, the government on the ground seems to have failed to take necessary actions towards the high fee structure, leaving parents fuming.
In January 2018, minister of education Syed Altaf Bukhari told assembly that “the profiteering and commercialization by private schools has been prohibited by the Supreme Court and the school education department is actively considering bringing legislation to regulate the fee structure of private educational institutions,” he said and added “a draft bill on fixation of fee structure of private schools in the state has been prepared and shall be laid before the state legislature in due course of time.”
In the same session, he said that government has constituted a school fee fixation committee (SFFC) to supervise the regulation of fee structure of all private educational institutions in the state.
However three months after, parents of different schools are aghast over the ‘dictatorial’ attitude of private schools in charging parents ‘exorbitantly.’
Out on streets, every day the parents of kids studying in Green Valley Educational Institution (GVEI). Parents allege that the management of the school flaunts the norms set by the government and charge at their own ‘sweet will’.
Giving details, Shafat Ahmad whose two daughters are studying in the school said the fee fixation committee appointed by the government for the fixation of tuition fee for students of various schools have enhanced the tuition fee of GVEI in the month of February 2018 vide order no FFC/FF/2016/Sgr/307 dated 21-02-2018.
He said the fee structure fixed for KG II has been fixed as Rs 2140 and for class IInd Rs 1700 per month from March onwards, but he accused the school of charging Rs 3240 for KG II and Rs 2660 for class IInd
“They charge approximately Rs 1000 extra for each class,” he told Kashmir Life.
The school has in its representation to the government has said that “the fee fixed thus will not enable their institution to maintain academic excellence which is our prime motive and concern.”
Justifying the efforts, the representation read that “the institution spares no efforts to ensure that our students are imparted the best education on the modern lines. The institution has put in the most modern electronic gadgets in use for curriculum transaction.”
A group of parents while talking to Kashmir Life rejected this and said the “school runs few classes outside in tin sheds, without caring about the life and safety of our children.”
“The elite schools are looting people like a thief,” said Shakeel Ahmad, MBA, a student at Jammu University.
As there is the minimum amount of ₹10,000 people have to give to any ordinary private school in Kashmir for admission, there seems no breather for the modest families.
“Majority of people in Kashmir are from the middle-class background, having an ordinary way of living and earning. High fees burden makes their life more stressful and miserable,” said Asma,” PhD scholar from Kashmir University.
“We want that our kids should study in Government schools, but there is no quality of education, lack of infrastructure, lack of everything,” said a parent of two daughters.
Talking to Kashmir Life Malik Raees ul Haq, the officer of J&K Committee for Fixation of fee structure of Private Educational Institutions said,” we are collecting details from the private schools regarding with tuition fee and other charges, now we are asking them for admission fee details and we are doing serious inspections towards the issue,” he said and added “People can also contact us on our email ID i.e; [email protected] for more complaints and feedbacks,” he further added .
G.N. Var “the President of Private School Association said that right now “there is a lot of chaos and confusions regarding the issue of high fees and then he assured that he is taking more serious measures to curb this problem.”
(The Image used in this story is representational.)
