Cabinet approves ordinance to regulate private school fees
LUCKNOW: The state cabinet on Tuesday approved the Uttar Pradesh Swavitt Poshit Swatantra Vidyalaya (regulation of fees) Ordinance 2018 to regulate and check fees being charged by private schools, including minority institutions, affiliated to CBSE, ICSE and UP Board of Secondary Education.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath presided over the meeting of the cabinet that also decided to prorogue the two houses of state legislature following the end of the budget session.
The provisions of the proposed law would affect all private schools imparting education from 1st to 12th standard and charging more than Rs 20,000 per annum fees. Pre-schools running nursery or pre-nursery classes etc. will not be covered.
THE PROVISIONS OF THE PROPOSED LAW WOULD AFFECT ALL PRIVATE SCHOOLS IMPARTING EDUCATION FROM 1ST TO 12TH STANDARD AND CHARGING MORE THAN RS 20,000 PER ANNUM FEES
A regulatory committee, headed by divisional commissioner with representatives of parents and school managements, will be constituted with its members having two-year tenure. The schools would be penalized for violation of rules. A fine of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh will be levied on schools for first and second violations while third time violation will lead to derecognition.
Briefing media persons, deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma called the decision a revolutionary step to provide relief to students. He said the proposed law would be implemented from the 2018-2019 academic session. The proposed law was formulated in accordance with the orders of SC, he added.
Under it, the schools will have to adopt a transparent system for charging fees, including registration, admission and examination. As there were complaints of schools charging exorbitant fees in the name of transportation, hostel, mess and educational tour etc. without providing facilities to the students, the proposed law makes payment of these fees optional for the students.
Sharma said schools would not be allowed to increase fees or change uniforms for five years and the fees charged by private schools in 2015-2016 would form the basis for implementing the regulations.
He said a hike of not more than 7 to 8 per cent may be allowed by the divisional regulatory committee on the basis of consumer price index and increase in salaries of staff and teachers etc. He said the schools will have to display on their website the fees to be charged from students 60 days before commencement of the academic session. “Schools would not be allowed to charge fees for full academic year in one go and have to opt for quarterly fees,” he said.