KOCHI: The new bylaws released by CBSE comes as a breather for the parents seeking admissions to the various affiliated schools. With the board making capitation fees or donations a strict no-no, many managements will have to look out for other means to keep their fund box full.
According to the new affiliation bylaws, no society or trust or company or school shall charge capitation fee or accept donations for the purpose of admission for pupils.
“The first thing that every parent do when seeking admission is to keep a lump sum of money aside towards donations that the schools sure ask for,” said Divya Jose, parent of a Class I student of a well-known school in the city. So, the latest development has come as a blessing for the parents, she added.
According to Joby Thomas, a bank officer, the schools didn’t have any limits when it comes to asking donations. “They know that the parents come ready to pay whatever they quote. Sometimes the donations go over Rs 25,000. The excuse these institutions give is the funds are being utilised to build better infrastructure,” he said. There has been no uniformity in the fees that these institutions collect, he added.
However, as per the new bylaws, admission fee and fees charged under any other head are to be done so only as per the regulations of the state government. “Fees shall be charged under the heads prescribed by the department of education the state or the Union Territories. Also, fee revision of the schools shall be subject to laws, regulation and directions of the government,” said the bylaw.
According to it, the fee is not to be revised without the express approval of the school management committee or the process prescribed. However, Ibrahim Khan, president, CBSE management association said, “As per the bylaws the schools can set their admission fees or tuition fees by taking into consideration the infrastructural facilities they are providing.”
“The school managements are worried about the dual authority clause. As it happens in the case of more than one governing authority, a lot of confusion is set to happen here too. So, the school managements will sit together and talk about it, plus the other points they think might be an issue. Once a consensus is arrived at, the association will approach the board seeking a review,” he said.
According to a principal of a school in the city, the management had taken the new development in a promising way. “As such, we had been reducing the admission fee over a period of time and now stand at a sum that is reasonable. So, we are not worried about anything,” she said.
Parents have expressed relief at the new CBSE bylaw that makes capitation fees or donations a strict no-no