Parents unhappy with proposed new fee regulation bill
LUCKNOW: Parents have raised objections to the UP government’s proposed new bill to regulate the fee structures of private schools. They say it allows educational institutions to charge admission fees from students at least four times during their years in school.
Not just the parents, but the UP Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh also wants this clause and many others to be revised. They say these rules are against the interests of the parents, and will arm schools with more power to charge excess fees.
The government decided to bring in the new law to regulate the fee structure of private schools from the coming academic session.
The department of secondary education has already prepared the draft of the ‘Uttar Pradesh Self-Financed Independent Schools (Regulation of Fees) Bill 2017’, and has displayed it on its website, seeking feedback from parents, school management and the public.
Suggestions for revisions / additions can be sent till December 22. These may be incorporated in the final draft.
The proposed bill says that schools can charge admission fee from parents first at the time of a new admission, then during promotions from Class 5 to 6, Class 8 to 9, and Class 10 to 11.
RP Mishra of the teachers’ association said, “This clause has to be removed to protect parents from getting fleeced by the school management.”
While the government claims the proposed law has greater transparency and accountability, parents who have studied the proposal feel that it empowers schools to fix any combination of fees.
The proposed bill reads: School shall on its own determine its fee structure, meeting its operational expenses, infrastructure, for providing facilities to the students to generate reasonable surplus to be utilised for development of educational purposes, including establishment of a new branch or a new school under the management of the same eligible educational entity.
The bill also says that schools can charge an annual fee under section 6, giving exemption to certain schools. Parents want this clause to be revised as well.
However, there are some positives to the proposed bill as well. Schools cannot increase the fee mid session. They are also required to upload their fee structure on their website before admission, so that parents are aware of it.