Srinagar, Jun 28: The government on Monday said that bulk complaints had been received against various private schools of Kashmir by the School Education Department (SED) regarding collection of undue and miscellaneous charges from the parents, online those charges collected without due intimation to parents in an opaque online mode.
It also said that despite the government directives for not charging any sort of miscellanous fees, non-academic charges from the students during the lockdown, scores of private schools were violating the prescribed norms and guidelines.
News agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO) has leant that the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) in this regard has warned such schools from collecting the miscellaneous.
Several private schools, including some leading Srinagar schools, this month shocked parents when they, without any prior information or intimation, deducted additional charges from parents’ debit and credit cards, in addition to the tuition fees, and showed the deductions only after the payment procedure was complete.
Meanwhile, DSEK has said that a delegation of Parents Association of Private Schools approached them on 22-06-2021 with the submission that the some schools are not implementing the Government Fee Fixation Committee orders issued from time to time with regard to collection of fee for the session Viz 2019-20 and 2020-21 especially during the lockdown period of COVID-19 pandemic
“Whereas, the delegation has further appraised that the situation has worsened as the school authorities are forcing the parents to clear their unpaid dues till May 2021 and are also asking for payment of annual and bus fee,” DSEK said.
DSEK also said ordered all recognized private schools of Kashmir Valley to stop charging miscellaneous charges for the session Viz 2019-20 and 2020-21 from the parents henceforth and charge only tuition fee approved by the Fee Fixation Committee as already instructed in a series of circulars issued in this behalf either by administrative department and School Education Department.
It also said that the excess fee if collected from any parent shall be adjusted in the tuition fee accordingly and in case any default in implementing the government instructions, strict action shall will be initiated as per the provision of law which includes de-recognition of the school in terms of standing norms without further intimation. —(KNO)
