Jammu, Mar. 21:
Director, School Education, Jammu today directed all private schools affiliated to State Board and CBSE to do away with charging higher tuition fees and other sorts of charges under various heads besides other commercialised practices by the schools.
In a specially called meeting of representatives of management of both state and CBSE affiliated private schools, the Director, School Education, G. A. Qureshi said that complaints' are pouring from general public, Public representatives, Parents' bodies and State Consumer Council that the private schools are charging exorbitant fee and resorting to selling of course books, notebooks and uniforms from their premises on higher rates and that all the stakeholders in this regard have shown a great concern which has necessitated the convening of this meeting so that the issues involved are discussed and some headway is made.
While deliberating upon the issue of fee structure it was noted that private schools are not notifying the fee structure through print media and they were asked to ensure that all type of fee which they charge should be notified well before the new admissions. It was also noted that some of the schools have charged the fee on different items when they could easily group these items and charge the justified fee so that it should not become a burden on the parents those are interested to admit their wards in private schools. The private schools were asked to justify the fee structure being charged by them and they were also asked to immediately notify the fee structure in the print media as well it should be displayed on the notice board of the school and on the prominent places for the information of the general public and especially for the parents whose wards are receiving education in these schools. They were asked to follow SRO-123 in letter and spirit and adhere to the instructions of the government in this regard and take parents association into confidence.
It was further impressed upon the schools to charge the admission fee only once on the enrolment / admission of the child, not to revise the fee in the mid-session and not to charge the fee for the items which they are not making properly available in their schools. Any revision of fee shall be made only with due consultation with the parents association under an intimation to Director, School Education. They were also asked to review the fee structure being charged by them during current year especially the caution money which although is refundable but the charging of such fee can be easily avoided as the participating schools could not give the justification for it. Similarly the charges of registration fee, medical fee development fee should have sufficient justification before these are charged.
Regarding selling of books, notebooks, stationery and uniforms in the school premises the management of the schools were asked to avoid as far as possible to sell these items from the school premises but in case the schools in order to facilitate the students sells these items from their premises it should be sold on concessional rates as compared to the market rate.
Regarding transport charges direction were issued to the schools to charge the bus fare strictly as per the rates fixed by the Transport Department. They were also asked to arrange suitable buses as has been prescribed for the transportation of students. They were further asked to chart out the route plan in such a way so as to avoid the congestion of traffic on the roads besides it should be convenient for the children to reach their destinations as early as possible.
Upon deliberating the issue of engagement of teaching staff the schools were requested to engage highly qualified staff and it should be ensured that the teachers engaged in the schools do not leave the school during the session. Besides Training programme for updating the knowledge of the teachers should be arranged regularly in the schools. Management of the schools were also asked to maintain accounts, cash book, contingent register etc strictly as prescribed under SRO-123 in order to ensure the transparency and accountability.
The schools were also requested to review the rate of the enhancement of the fee proposed by the schools during this year and a suggestion was made to them not to enhance the fee during the Current Academic session as a confidence building measure. They were instructed to provide the detail of the fee structure charged by them for the last three years, facilities provided by them along with justification for the levy of the fee to the Directorate of School Education within week's time. In the end the Director School Education, Jammu said that commercialization of education should be avoided at any cost.
Those attended the Meeting at Directorate included all the CBSE affiliated schools of Jammu district; M.S. Baloria, Secretary, J & K BOSE, Dr. Javed Iqbal Khateeb, Jt. Secretary, BOSE, Dr. Narupa Rai, Personnel Officer, DSEJ, Sh. H. R. Pakhroo, Sh. A. C. Aima and Sh. S.K. Gandotra, Joint Directors, Directorate of School Education, Jammu, besides Sh. Rakesh Gupta, Joint Director, CAPD, Sh. Amar Singh, Jt. Controller, Legal Metrology, Jammu, Sh. Jaideep Das, Assistant Commissioner, KVS R.O, Sh. D.R Danish President Consumer Protection Organisation, Jammu, Sh. Yash Paul Gupta President ACTF Jammu, Director Academics K.C international School Paloura, Vice Principal, Presentation Convent School Jammu, Principal G.D Goenka School Jammu, Principal, JK Public School, Principal Banyan International School,Vice Principal Jodhamal Public School, Principal Heritage School, Representative of MHAC School Nagbani, Principal KC Gurukul Public School Paloura, Principal KC Public School Jammu, A.O DPS Jammu, T. Manager DPS Jammu, Administrator, DPS Jammu. Principal JP World School Jammu.
No comments:
Post a Comment