Meeting with Chief Minister - 6th July (Mon), 8 AM: Roll back hiked School fee, recommends Fee Regulatory Committee appointed by State Government.
The efforts of HSPA & various School Parent Associations have started showing positive results in last 6-8 weeks. In far-reaching recommendations that could rationalize school fee, the five-member Fee Regulatory Committee, appointed by the state government, has said in a significant development that a member of Parent-Teachers Association should be inducted into the Governing board of each educational institution, which will fix the fee.
We have summarized these recommendations below. Cheers to all parents who had faith and provided their support to HSPA Core committee members. We must remember that it’s a significant milestone, but this is still a set of recommendations to the state government and hence to get this implemented on priority, we have fixed a meet with the Chief Minister Sri Y S Rajasekhar Reddy to:
1. Thank him for ensuring quick delivery of report
2. Urge him for speedy and efficient implementation of these recommendations at AP state level
Date: Monday, July 6th 2009 at 8.00 am (assemble by 7.45am)
Venue: Chief Minister's Camp Office, Next to Walden Book Shop, Opposite ITC Grand Kakatiya, Greenlands - Somajiguda Road, Hyderabad.
We need to gather in large numbers & showcase to CM that this issue is critical to all of us and hence every parent is expected to come forward and participate in this meet. Till now whatever positives have come out is totally due to the commitment and hard work of few individuals. Now that the movement is reaching towards a critical stage, we would request the parents to come out and support.. “Its important to all of us”… not just to few of us… Please gather parents from your school tomorrow and show solidarity….
For Hyderabad Schools Parent Association (HSPA)
An association for Hyderabad parents, who are committed to bring some change in the society!! Are you doing your bit??
Can you do your bit by informing atleast 5 parents from your mobile’s contact list and confirm back to us that they will join tomorrow and that they have registered with their school Parent Association??
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In far-reaching recommendations that could rationalize school fee, the five-member Fee Regulatory Committee appointed by the state government has said in a significant development that is likely to bring cheer to beleaguered parents, the expert committee on school fee regulation has suggested that a member of Parent-Teachers Association should be inducted into the governing board of each educational institution, which will fix the fee. This recommendation forms part of a 14-page report submitted by a five-member expert committee constituted last month by the government to study school fee structure in private educational institutions.
The expert Fee Regulatory Committee, headed by commissioner for Intermediate/ collegiate education Luv Agarwal, Hyderabad collector Navin Mittal, joint secretary (education) B Mallamma, additional secretary (law) N Ramana Rao and a corporate school principal Narayana Reddy; said that:
- No private schools in the state should be allowed to collect more than Rs 24,000 per annum for students up to Class V and Rs 30,000 per annum for students from Class VI to X. These are upper ceilings.
- In rural areas, it has ruled for a uniform fee of Rs 15,000 per annum from classes I-XII. However, the user fee (which includes transport, food, books, uniform and hostel) has been excluded from this limit.
- The fee structure should be revised only once in 3 years. Schools should also give official fee receipts. - The fee was categorised into three basic units of registration fee, tuition fee and user fee. While the registration fee will be a one-time fee, the tuition fee hike cannot be more than 15 per cent of previous year.
- The expert panel recommended that the fee prescribed for the last academic year (2008-09) would stand good for this year (2009-10). All private schools should roll back the hiked fee for this year. In case parents have already paid the hiked fee, the extra amount will have to be adjusted in the coming academic year.
- Schools will have do away with names such as “concept schools”, “techno schools” etc. They should be named as primary, upper primary, high schools and public schools.
- The panel also recommended constitution of district-level fee regulatory committees. If the school management wants to increase the fee, it will have to seek the approval of this fee regulatory authority with collector, joint collector, DEO and other officials as members.
- The committee has reiterated that as per existing GO – MS1, there should be a governing council in every school that includes representatives from parents, teachers and management. A Parent Teacher Association (PTA) should be set up and it should be consulted on the fee hike as a first step. Based on PTA’s decision, the governing council should approach the fee regulatory authority with all the accounts on income and expenditure based on which it will approve the hike.
- The governing councils should approach the fee regulatory authority by September and a decision will be taken by the authority by December every year. The hiked fee will come into force during the next academic year.
- The committee noted that several schools were collecting an amounts ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 30,000 just for the admission application form. The committee said the application cost should be less than Rs 100.
- Schools should not collect a caution deposit of more than Rs 5,000 and it has to be refundable, the committee added.
- Aggrieved parents are entitled to approach the fee regulatory committee, if they have any grievances pertaining to fees.
- The overhead costs such as transportation would be decided based on the distance and not by the management’s whims and fancies.
All these recommendations are in tune with the AP Regulation of Education and Prohibition of Capitation Fee Act 1983. If the government accepts the recommendations which are based on Section 15 read with Section 37 of the AP Educational Institutions Regulation of Admission and Prohibition of Capitation Fee, 1983, the private schools will have to implement it.
