The appointment of Justice (Retd) Sunil Hali as Chairman J&K Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee (FFRC) has come at no less an appropriate time than the beginning of new admissions after the announcement of recently held annual examinations in schools across Jammu & Kashmir. Though admissions in Government schools is not an issue at all as School Education Department is monitoring the enrolment drive launched by them immediately after the announcement of the results of final examinations recently held by the schools but admissions in private schools is a major issue in view of the bad practices and procedure set by them for admissions . Though denying admission is a violation of the right to education guaranteed by the constitution of India to every citizen of the country but private schools while citing accommodation constraints deny admissions to people on the basis of a selection process designed, drafted and approved by them without any approval of either the school education department or the J&K Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee (J&K FFRC). True it is that J&K Fee Fixation and Regulation Committee has certain limitations in regulating the practices and procedures of admissions adopted by private schools but it has certainly overriding powers in regulating the fee structure of private schools. Though former FFRC Chairman Justice (Retd) Muzaffar Hussain Athar had very efficiently regulated the free structure in private schools during his stipulated term of two years but some of the private schools particularly Delhi Public School Srinagar (Athwajan) ,New Convent School Srinagar and many other schools in Srinagar have without the consent of J&K Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee (FFRC) hiked bus fee by 40% recently on their own.
“Since hiking admission or bus fee without the consent and approval of the J&K Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee is a brazen violation of the standing rules set for regulation of fee structure in private schools, it is for Justice (Retd) Sunil Hali to pick up the threads where Justice (Retd) has left for the purposes of raising the standards of regulating the fee structure in private schools in the larger public interests. The people particularly parents expect the new Chairman J&K FFRC to take a strong note of recent unauthorised hikes in the fee structures announced unauthorisedly by some private schools on their own whims and wishes without the consent and approval of the J&K Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee (J&K FFRC)”.
Though unauthorised hike in bus fee was several times brought to the notice of Director School Education Kashmir recently by the parents but in the absence of Chairman at J&K FFRC Director School Education Kashmir did not seek any explanations from such private schools who have authorisedly hiked bus fee recently. Now appointment of Justice (Retd) Sunil Hali has reduced the increasing hopelessness over the bus fee hike among both the parents and as well as the students who now hope an early redressal of their grievance on bus fee hike by some private schools in Kashmir. Since hiking admission or bus fee without the consent and approval of the J&K Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee is a brazen violation of the standing rules set for regulation of fee structure in private schools, it is for Justice (Retd) Sunil Hali to pick up the threads where Justice (Retd) has left for the purposes of raising the standards of regulating the fee structure in private schools in the larger public interests. The people particularly parents expect the new Chairman J&K FFRC to take a strong note of recent unauthorised hikes in the fee structures announced unauthorisedly by some private schools on their own whims and wishes without the consent and approval of the J&K Fee Fixation & Regulation Committee (J&K FFRC).
