10% private schools applied for fees higher than FRC rates in 2023, 15% in 2024: Minister Dindor
Similarly, during 2024-25, only 15 per cent (1,914) schools had applied for higher fees while 85% (11,249) had not, the minister added.
2 min read
Kuber DindorGujarat Education Minister Kuber Dindor, in response to a starred question raised by AAP MLA Hemant Ahir from Jamjodhpur constituency in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday on private schools in Jamnagar and Devbhoomi Dwarka charging higher fees than approved by the Fee Regulation Committee (FRC), said that only one such complaint had been received from Jamnagar where the private school was fined Rs 2.5 lakh.
Dindor said that in the last two years, not a single complaint was received in Devbhoomi Dwarka regarding private schools collecting more fees in violation of the orders of the FRC. “In Jamnagar, the state government imposed a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh on P V Modi High School as per Section-14(1) of the Gujarat Self Financed School, (Regulation of Fees) Act 2017,” he said.
Speaking about schools, which have applied to the FRC for fee approval, the Education Minister said that during 2023-24 out of 12,947 private schools in the state, only 10 per cent (1,261 schools) had applied to FRC for higher fee, and rest have only submitted their affidavits that does not require approval for charging fee higher than the one fixed by the FRC.
Similarly, during 2024-25, only 15 per cent (1,914) schools had applied for higher fees while 85% (11,249) had not, the minister added.
He said that as per the provision in Section 14 of the Gujarat Self-Financed School (Regulation of Fees) Act 2017, a self-financed school is liable to a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh for the first violation, Rs 5-10 lakh for the second violation and the NOC for the third violation.
“In addition to recovering this fine, the school also has to return double the amount of the additional fee collected from the students. Apart from this, the payment of the amount has to be made within 15 days from the date of receipt of the order in this regard. Thereafter, a penalty of one per cent per day of the total amount to be recovered will be levied till the date of payment. If this amount is not paid within a period of three months, then that amount will be considered as the outstanding amount of land revenue and recovered,” the minister said.
You May Like
Photos
