Fee Regulation Committee issues notices to over 500 private schools in Rajkot

Rajkot: Zonal Fee Regulation Committee (FRC) of Rajkot constituted almost 10 days ago under the newly made Gujarat Self-Financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act, 2017 has issued notices to over 500 private schools asking them to furnish details of their fee structure.

The committee headed by Retired Judge M P Seth has issued notices to 508 private or self financed schools of the region to provide the details of fee they were charging.

On the Instructions of the committee the district education officer has issued the notices and once the details were received, the committee would study it and take appropriated steps.

Notably in Ahmedabad over a dozen such schools have reduced their fees in the wake of the act.

Under the Act 4 zones of Ahmedabad,Vadodara,Rajkot,Surat have an FRC to regulate the fees. Each committee is coordinated by the concerned district education officers. These are to be headed by a retired district judge or a retired IPS officer not below the rank of Additional DGP or an IAS officer not below the rank of Principal Secretary as the chairperson. Whereas, other members of the FRC should be government-appointed engineer or valuer, a chartered accountant, an educationist of repute or a representative of school managements of the concerned zone. The FRC has been given wide powers to verify the justifications given by private schools for the fees being charged by them.

Under the Act, the Gujarat government has kept a cap of Rs 15,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 27,000 for private primary, secondary and higher secondary schools respectively. Any school charging fees more than this will have to justify their fees before the FRC. In case of violation of the Act, the concerned school can face punitive steps which include de-recognition on third violation. For the first and second violation they will have to pay Rs 5 and 10 lakh as penalty.

DeshGujarat