“The time when Omar Abdullah Government reiterates its commitment to affordable and quality education for all which is also the key goal of the National Education Policy, 2020 the J&K FFRC is putting a big roadblock on this ambitious path by arbitrarily hiking the fee of private schools on plain applications.”
Allegations are galore that J&K Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee (J&K FFRC) allows arbitrary fee hikes to private schools just on plain applications in violation of the fee structure that has been already devised for private schools. Allegations are also galore that parents cry but their cries go unheard at the J&K FFRC office in Srinagar and unfortunately such highly objectionable grievances are not heard even in the offices of Directorate Of School Education Kashmir and the Administrative Department at Civil Secretariat Srinagar and Jammu. The time when Omar Abdullah Government reiterates its commitment to affordable and quality education for all which is also the key goal of the National Education Policy, 2020 the J&K FFRC is putting a big roadblock on this ambitious path by arbitrarily hiking the fee of private schools on plain applications. Forget about authorities of J&K School Education Department taking serious note of such a flagrant violation of fee structure norms by J&K FFRC the fee regulation committee itself, the cries of the parents on fee hike are not heard even in the top corridors of powers in the Education Department and had it been so J&K FFRC won’t have set a bad trend of arbitrarily hiking fee of private schools on their simple applications. The parents find themselves at the receiving end due to lack of a system of adequate checks and balances in the fee regulation practices and procedures at J&K FFEC. While the Delhi Cabinet under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has recently approved a Bill to regulate fee structure in all private schools in the national capital prescribing fines up to Rs 10 lakh for any hike without proper approval, the J&K School Education Department does not seek even a simple explanation from the Chairman J&K FFRC on allegations of arbitrary fee hikes in private school in violation of fee structure norms. The Bill likely to be tabled in Delhi Assembly soon prescribing fines up to Rs 10 lakh for any hike without proper approval to any private school could be a source of inspiration for the Jammu & Kashmir Government also.
“As private schools often justify fee hike on the grounds of providing better facilities to students, a Delhi like legislation with strict enforcement of fee structure norms and a mandatory penalty of over Rs 10 lacs penalty for unauthorised fee hike against private schools can bring respite to hapless and helpless parents and students in Jammu & Kashmir. What matters the most is the fact that most of the private schools in J&K are reluctant to disclose details of income and expenditure. Private Schools in Jammu & Kashmir are even opposed to external financial audits by the Jammu & Kashmir Government. Commitment to affordable and quality education for all necessitates robust legal safeguards which will deter private schools from treating education as a cash cow.”
Notably the Supreme Court in 2021 upheld the constitutional validity of the Rajasthan Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act, 2016, confirming the state’s right to prevent profiteering in education. The Delhi Government’s decision to come up with a regulatory Bill in the assembly is obviously a serious effort to incorporate clear-cut enforcement provisions to further the broad objective of affordable and quality education for all at Private Schools . As private schools often justify fee hike on the grounds of providing better facilities to students, a Delhi like legislation with strict enforcement of fee structure norms and a mandatory penalty of over Rs 10 lacs penalty for unauthorised fee hike against private schools can bring respite to hapless and helpless parents and students in Jammu & Kashmir. What matters the most is the fact that most of the private schools in J&K are reluctant to disclose details of income and expenditure. Private Schools in Jammu & Kashmir are even opposed to external financial audits by the Jammu & Kashmir Government. Commitment to affordable and quality education for all necessitates robust legal safeguards which will deter private schools from treating education as a cash cow.
