HYDERABAD: The managements of private schools and junior colleges are of the opinion that the Fee Regulation & Monitoring Commission Draft Bill will have a negative impact on the way these institutions are run.
As the Bill mandates that fees should be determined by the parent-teacher associations (PTAs) and approved by the Fee Regulatory Commission, with revisions linked to the consumer price index (CPI) every two years, they fear financial instability and potential closure of their respective institutions due to lack of autonomy in financial decisions.
They say the fact that school managements have no role in determining fees or making financial decisions threatens the very survival of unaided private schools.
Urging the Education department to communicate with stakeholders before finalising the Bill, they emphasise the need for balanced fee regulation in unaided private schools. The Commission should also permit the schools to revise their fees annually by up to CPI + 5%, without requiring prior approval from the Fee Regulation & Monitoring Commission, they add.
Citing the practice being followed in other states, Shiva Ramakrishna, correspondent of Sai High School, New Bhoiguda, said: “It will be better if the fees are hiked annually based on the consumer price index (CPI) as is being done in states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. There should also be grade-wise fee slabs — pre-primary, primary (Class 1 to 5), upper primary (Class 6 to 7) and high school (Class 8-10) — to ensure a fair and transparent structure aligned with academic stages.”
“Parents naturally seek lower fees. But these committees should also have individuals with expertise in fee regulation to ensure balanced decision-making,” he added.
Referring to the key features of the draft Bill, Pragathi Vidyaniketan correspondent Madhusudhan said: “Rule 18 of the Bill categorises private schools and sets fee limits based on actual costs. However, past experiences show that fee reimbursements in higher education have not been revised for several years. The Bill also imposes uniform fee regulations, without considering differences in infrastructure, quality of education, board affiliations, land norms in agency areas and additional services offered by private schools.”
Key features of proposed Fee Regulation Bill
The draft Bill proposes establishment of the Telangana Private School Fee Regulatory and Monitoring Commission
Ban on collection of excess fees
Every private school and junior college should constitute a parent-teachers association
Class-wise classification of fees in private unaided schools and junior colleges
What schools want
Balanced fee regulation in unaided private schools
Permission to revise fees annually by up to CPI + 5% without requiring prior approval from the fee monitoring commission