Prakash Javadekar on fee hike: School education a state subject, Centre cannot intervene
The HRD minister talking to India Today said that the Centre can only give a model code of conduct to states.
At a time when parents across various cities are staging protests against rising fees of private schools, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the central government cannot intervene in the matter.
Speaking to India Today, Javadekar said, "School education is a state subject, we can only give a model code of conduct, it is the state's choice to implement it."
Recently, parents in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad staged protests against private schools arbitrarily rising their fees. A parent in Ghaziabad talking to India Today said, "The state of government schools is terrible, our only option is of the private schools that fleece us yearly."
To this Javadekar responded saying, "Education is not for profiteering. Only some fashionable schools hike fees, it is upto the parents to decide. Most schools charge quite less." The HRD minister added, "My job is to make sure we make government schools so good that they become the first choice for parents. Government schools are also incurring Rs 18,000 per student per year, while as most private schools charge lesser than that."
UNCHECKED FEE HIKE
Recently, the Punjab government capped the hike of school fees at 8 per cent, saying all schools will come under the regulation. However, states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi are either contemplating or have already moved to curb the unchecked fee hike by schools. Many private schools that charge steeply have stepped in to address the quality gap left by government schools. The exorbitant fees charged by private schools, sometimes going as high as Rs 15 lakh per annum, have drawn comparisons with the fees at premier medical or engineering schools.
The minister added, "Every state has the right to curb hikes, if they want to. Kendriya Vidyalaya is already a brand across the country. We'll build more of them in urban cities to counter private schools."
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