Private schools say no to declaring per-child expenditure

They say the fee structure is ‘rigid and impractical’

Private school managements, which were supposed to declare their per-child expenditure by the end of the month, have declined to do so. Instead, they have termed the government’s fee structure “rigid and impractical”.

The Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka has written a letter to the Principal Secretary of the Department of Primary and Secondary Education raising objections to many of the clauses.

They have urged the department to tweak certain clauses in the fee-structure formula, and stated that many unaided schools, which are self-financed, impart “high-quality education and standards” and should be allowed to charge their own fees.

Extra-curricular activities

D. Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the association, said they were against the department’s rule which says they can charge a term fee of 10% of the tuition fee, which needs to include extra-curricular activities as well.

They have argued that extra-curricular activities demand a huge financial commitment and the parents should have the option of choosing the activities that their child maybe interested in.

According to the department’s fee structure, besides recurring costs, school managements are allowed to charge an additional fee that differs based on the location — ranging from 70% of the recurring fee in gram panchayat and town panchayat limits to about 100% in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike areas.

15% cap on fee hike

The special development fee is ₹2,500, and schools also are not allowed to hike the fees by more than 15% from the previous academic year. The association has also demanded that the differential fee based on the location of the school should be done away with and a common fee should be introduced.

The school managements have also questioned the 15% cap on fee hike and urged the government to provide them clarity on how this is sustainable.

“We cannot charge fees for students under the RTE quota and the expenses of running the school falls on the parents whose children are not admitted under the quota. It is unfair and there is a need for the government to provide more clarity on this,” he said.

The association has also claimed that their fee-structure formula goes against several judgements which have been overlooked by the department.

Responding to this, DPI officials maintained that schools will have to follow the fee-structure formula, but added that they would convene a meeting with the school managements to address their concerns.