Lok Sabha Question No. 206 (STARRED), answered on 2019-07-08
Subject: Fees in Private Schools
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Meenakashi Lekhi, Locket Chatterjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No.206 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.07.2019

## Fees in Private Schools

## *206.  SHRIMATI MEENAKASHI LEKHI: MS. LOCKET CHATTERJEE:

Will  the  Minister  of  HUMAN  RESOURCE  DEVELOPMENT  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether the Government  is aware  that private schools increase fees without prior notice to parents and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to control such arbitrary hikes of school fees;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  issued  any  guidelines/formulated  any  rules regarding charging of fees by private schools affiliated to CBSE and if so, the details thereof along with prescribed norms for charging/increasing of fees by private schools and the items under which such fees can be charged; and
- (d) the number of cases reported to the Government during the last three years regarding  irregularities  by  the  private  schools  and  the  action  taken  by  the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK')

- (a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## 6 TH  POSITION

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  THE  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF  LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.206 FOR ANSWER ON 08.07.2019 ASKED BY SHRIMATI MEENAKASHI LEKHI AND MS. LOCKET CHATTERJEE REGARDING FEES IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

(a) and (b): The  Government  and  the  Central  Board  of  Secondary  Education (CBSE)  do  receive  sporadic  complaints  against  its  affiliated  independent  unaided schools  with  regard  to  fee  hike  and  other  charges.  Education  is  a  subject  in  the Concurrent List of the Constitution and majority of schools are under the jurisdiction of the State Governments. Thus, the matter relating to fees and its components in schools are regulated in terms of Rules and Instructions of the State Government concerned. It is for the respective State Government concerned to take necessary action  against  such  schools  which  violate  the  Rules  and  Instructions  of  the  State Government in the matter.

So  far  as  CBSE  is  concerned,  whenever  any  complaint  against  unaided private schools affiliated to it regarding charging/ increasing of fees is received, the Board, as per the existing guidelines, immediately seeks report from the concerned affiliated school and necessary action is initiated as per Affiliation Bye Laws. In case of  serious  violations,  the  Board  takes  action  that  may  lead  to  disaffiliation  of  the erring schools.

(c): The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)  has incorporated following provisions in Chapter 7 of Affiliation Bye- Laws, 2018 related to School fee:

-  No Society/ Trust/ Company /School shall charge capitation fee or accept donations for the purpose of admission for pupils.
-  Admission Fee and Fee charged under any other head are to be charged only as per the regulations of the Appropriate Government.
-  Fees shall be charged under the heads prescribed by the Department of Education of the State/ UTs.
-  Fee revision of schools shall be subject to laws, regulation and directions of the Appropriate Government.
-  Fee  shall  not  be  revised  without  the  express  approval  of  the  School Management  Committee  or  the  process  prescribed  by  the  Appropriate Government under any circumstances.

As per rule 7.6 of the Affiliation Bye-laws 2018, the acts and regulations of the Central and State / UT Government enacted/ framed in connection with regulation of fee  in  respect  of  the  various  categories  of  the  schools  situated  in  the  State  are applicable to the school affiliated with CBSE also.

(d): 27 complaints have been received during the period w.e.f. 01.01.2017 to till date.  All  these  complaints  have  been  taken  up  with  the  Local  Authorities  of  the concerned  Education  Department  and  District  Administration  of  respective  State Governments.

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