Schools say Rs 500 fee hike impossible

The seven-member Bansal Committee submitted its recommendations regarding fee hike to the government on Tuesday.

The schools say they have not seen the report yet,and will decide on any future course of action after the government takes a decision.

Private and unaided schools have been demanding a tuition fee hike of up to 50 per cent to implement the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations about teachers’ salaries.

With about 42 months’ arrears due to the teachers,the schools say they will lobby with the government and ask to review the Bansal Committee’s recommendations before a final decision is made.

According to the recommendations,arrears to be collected from students should not exceed Rs 4,500 per head. The schools,on the other hand,had asked for at least Rs 9,000 to manage the arrears backlog.

The report also suggests that a statutory committee be appointed to monitor the reserve funds of private schools in the city,and their financial records be reviewed before approving any fee hike. The report,now with the Directorate of Education,will be submitted to the Cabinet for final approval,according to Education Secretary Rina Ray.

“We are going to study the report in the next couple of days and work out the slabs,” she said.

A member of the Committee said it studied a number of schools and categorised them according to the fee they were charging. However,the Committee,he said,did not recommend putting schools in slabs.

“That was the (education) minister’s idea. That was not our prerogative,” the member said. “(But) there is no point trying to work out how this affects us till the government takes a decision. The Committee report was simply a recommendation.”

When Newsline tried to contact Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely,he could not be reached.

The Bansal Committee was constituted in October last year and was due to submit its report in November. With the delay in submitting its recommendations,the schools are now concerned that it leaves them with little time to apprise parents of the fee hike,and that in the meantime,the arrears mount.

The many takes
“This is ridiculous. Besides,it is the delay that is adding to our worries. Our staff is asking everyday (about the raise).”
Rajno Arora ,Principal,Ramjas Public School,Anand Parbat

“These are only recommendations. Most schools will not be able to meet the expenditure if the recommendations are implemented as they are. But we are hopeful.”
S.L. Jain,Chairman,National Progressive Schools Conference

“I don’t know how they arrived at this figure. What’s the logic? The minister says no burden on the parents. Yes,we understand,but why this step-motherly treatment to private schools.”
S K Bhattacharya,President,Action Committee,which represents 1,900 schools

“They should not insist on implementing the pay commission’s recommendations if they don’t allow us to hike the fees. But let’s wait for the government’s decision.”
S P Jalan,Secretary,Federation of Trans Yamuna Schools

“It is not just the affluent people who send their children to private schools. If the government can bail out Satyam and waive of farmers’ debt,then it should also pay arrears and upgrade the teachers’ salaries instead of approving any fee hike.”

Praveen Khandelwal,Secretary General,Confederation of All India Traders

“It is just too much. We have to now save money for this (fee hike). And we don’t even know how much it is going to be.”
A parent