Private schools across Mysuru district have been instructed to fix the tuition fee for 2016-17 only after consulting the respective Block Education Officer (BEO).
In response to complaints received against collection of exorbitant fees by certain private schools, a recent meeting of Education Department officials chaired by Mysuru Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer (CEO) P.A. Gopal decided to instruct all private schools in the district to not only fix the tuition fee in consultation with the respective BEO, but also display the details on the notice board on the premises.
“If any school collects fees higher than the amount fixed by the BEO, the authorities will not only recover 10 times the excess amount collected, but also initiate criminal proceedings against the school,” said Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI), Mysuru, H.R. Basappa.
Mr. Gopal, however, said that CBSE and ICSE schools are out of the purview of these instructions.
Education Department officials said the State government had issued broad guidelines on fixing of tuition fees by private schools.
“The fees could vary from school to school depending on the salary they are paying their teaching and non-teaching staff, besides the other expenditure they incur,” a department official told The Hindu .
Though the department officials has been directing schools to consult their respective BEOs before fixing the school fees during the last few years, private schools seldom follow the instructions.
A BEO complained that private schools unilaterally fixed the tuition fees.
“They seldom consult us,” the BEO said. Some private schools give a bill only for the legally permitted amount while the excess amount is collected without a bill.
“If parents can come forward to lodge a complaint with proper evidence, we can take action,” the BEO said.
However, this year the department has constituted special teams at the BEO level comprising high school headmasters and cluster resource persons, who will pay surprise visits to private schools to check the amount of fees they are collecting.
“A report on the fees different schools are collecting will be submitted to the office of DDPI later,” the official said.
The department officials have also directed heads of all schools to ensure that no fee is collected from the parents of students admitted under the Right to Education quota.
Also, a special team constituted at each BEO level will check whether the admissions to private schools are taking place in accordance with the rules of the Education Department.
MONEY MATTERS
Schools will also display the details about fees on the notice board on the school premises
‘Fees can also vary depending on the school’s expenditure’
Teams have been formed to conduct surprise checks to inspect the fees they collect
Schools have also been directed to ensure that no fee is collected for students admitted under RTE
CBSE and ICSE schools are out of the purview of these instructions
