Though J&K Government has established a fee fixation committee headed by a retired high court just for regulating the fee structure of all the private schools in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division years ago but the committee has not been empowered to regulate the fee structure of coaching centres who have been imposing fee for coaching at their own whims and wishes without any regulation from any public functionary of the J&K Government so for. Unlike private schools the coaching centres are enjoying the liberty to fix fee for coaching on their own whims and wishes and against the wishes of the enrolled students and their parents. Though Deputy Commissioners of the concerned districts and the directorates of school education of the twin divisions of Kashmir and Jammu inspect the coaching centres for the purposes of their registration year after year as a procedural formality but neither the concerned Deputy Commissioners of the concerned districts nor the Chief Education Officers (CEOs) of the concerned districts controlled by the concerned directorates of the twin divisions of Kashmir and Jammu are empowered to regulate the fee structure of coaching centres. In the absence of any government controlled regulation of the fee structure at the coaching cent the students and their parents allege too much of exploitation by the coaching centres in the name of coaching fee both in Kashmir valley and Jammu but the growing public outcry on this count is yet to attract the attention of the top brass of the school education department. Data of National Sample Survey conducted in 2019 reveals the fact that more than a quarter of the total no of student take private coaching and consequently 12% of a family’s expenses go towards private coaching, across rich and poor families alike.
Since the exorbitant fee charged by coaching centres undermines mainstream education and remains untaxed also , the coaching centres have virtually become market bullies in Jammu & Kashmir. While the reason for the growth of coaching centres is the increasing expansion of entrance exam culture in Jammu & Kashmir like almost all the states and union territories of the country, a policy on regulating the fee at the coaching centres has assumed greater public importance keeping in view the fact that a bad law is worse than no law. Above fee regulation at the coaching centres like the private schools would be boost the process of educational empowerment and career building of the students in Jammu & Kashmir.
Since the trends for coaching is more extensive in Jammu & Kashmir than any other state or union territory of the country, it quite evident that more than 12% of the family expenses would be going towards private coaching in both Kashmir valley and Jammu division. Interestingly economic theories suggest that if prices are not controlled by market forces themselves the government intervention becomes mandatory and inevitable in the larger public interests. Since the exorbitant fee charged by coaching centres undermines mainstream education and remains untaxed also , the coaching centres have virtually become market bullies in Jammu & Kashmir. While the reason for the growth of coaching centres is the increasing expansion of entrance exam culture in Jammu & Kashmir like almost all the states and union territories of the country, a policy on regulating the fee at the coaching centres has assumed greater public importance keeping in view the fact that a bad law is worse than no law. Above fee regulation at the coaching centres like the private schools would be boost the process of educational empowerment and career building of the students in Jammu & Kashmir.
