“Most of the famed private schools have hiked their annual tuition fee from Just Rs 6000 to Rs 22000/- without any formal approval from J&K FFRC and similarly such private schools have also hiked bus fee from 2000/- a month to Rs 3000/- in violation of the cap of Rs 2000/- already imposed by J&K FFRC”.
Though change of guard at the Jammu & Kashmir Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee (J&KFFRC) in November last year should not have changed the practices and procedures of the implementation of fee structures at private schools but unfortunately under the incumbent Chairman Justice(Retd) Sunil Hali who took over as Chairman barely two months after the completion of two year term by his predecessor last year the private schools across Jammu & Kashmir have hiked their fee during the current academic year in violation of the fee structure norms implemented by J&K FFRC till November last year. While most of the private schools across Jammu & Kashmir have hiked hugely their annual tuition fees in the range of 10%-60% at their own whims and wishes without the formal approval of J&K FFRC, the school bus fee have been also increased despite the fact that J&K FFRC has already imposed total cap of Rs 2000/- on bus fee. Allegations are galore that most of the famed private schools have hiked their annual tuition fee from Just Rs 6000 to Rs 22000/- without any formal approval from J&K FFRC and similarly such private schools have also hiked bus fee from 2000/- a month to Rs 3000/- in violation of the cap of Rs 2000/- already imposed by J&K FFRC. Allegations are also galore that transparency in admission process too has been hugely compromised with complaints about top famed private schools seeking capitation fee in lacks from parents of the children of affluent classes for admission without any proper receipts going unnoticed at the offices of J&K FFRC and also the twin Directorates of J&K School Education Department in Srinagar and Jammu. Not only by the annual tuition and bus fee the parents of lower middle classes are also overburdened with the unaffordable burden of the rising costs of uniforms, shoes, bags, notebooks and other associated items which they are asked by private schools to purchase from particular stationary and school uniform outlets both in Srinagar and Jammu the two capital cities and also in major towns in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division.
“The bad trend of unprecedented hikes in annual tuition and bus fee if allowed to go unnoticed and untouched for few more months would deprive the children of the lower middle classes of the right to seek admissions at top private schools and further the prospects of the admissions of more and more children of the people of affluent classes from the commencement of the next academic year across Jammu and Kashmir. With implementation of the regulation of fee structures of private schools taking a big hit both in Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division, the onus of implementing the fee structure norms to reverse the illegal fee hikes at majority of private schools lies on J&K FFRC particularly it’s incumbent Chairperson Justice (Retd) Sunil Hali”.
Unfortunately from Lower Kindergarten (LKG) to 12th class, unprecedented annual tuition fees hikes at private schools have hit parents of all categories and classes across Jammu & Kashmir which though deserves immediate attention and intervention of J&K FFRC is not getting the required attention and intervention the way it was getting on fee regulation issues till November last year. The annual tuition and bus fee hike obviously furthering the prospects of the admissions of more and more children of the affluent classes has unfortunately fueled sense of discrimination among the people of lower middle classes of the society. The bad trend of unprecedented hikes in annual tuition and bus fee if allowed to go unnoticed and untouched for few more months would deprive the children of the lower middle classes of the right to seek admissions at top private schools and further the prospects of the admissions of more and more children of the people of affluent classes from the commencement of the next academic year across Jammu and Kashmir. With implementation of the regulation of fee structures of private schools taking a big hit both in Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division, the onus of implementing the fee structure norms to reverse the illegal fee hikes at majority of private schools lies on J&K FFRC particularly it’s incumbent Chairperson Justice (Retd) Sunil Hali.
