Srinagar: under fire from parents over hike in fees of private schools, the Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to setup a panel to fix the fee structure of such institutions in the state.
Confirming the development secretary education Sirdesh Kumar said the five-member panel will be headed by former Chief Justice of Orissa High Court, Justice (Retd) Bilal Ahmed Naziki. The other members include chartered accountant to be nominated by chairman of the committee, a representative of the J&K Board of School Education and Secretary to government of J&K, school education department said secretary education while talking to news agency.
He further said, “If any institution will be found involved in unjustified fee hike will be dealt severely as soon as this panel will be completed. He said government is serious regarding the improvement and proper functioning of the education system in the state. He added that nobody will be allowed to violate the rules and regulations.
Parents of students whose wards are studying in private schools are regularly holding protest demonstrations against the fee hike by the schools. The issue was also raised in the recently concluded Budget Sess
There are thousands of private educational institutes functioning in the state – including primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools.
The parents are fuming over not only hike in admission but also host of other charges imposed by school authorities.
“The school authorities are acting in a manner of money-minting machines. They have hiked fees in an arbitrary manner and if anyone raises the issue his ward is harassed. In the inflationary times its difficult to give quality education in so-called “quality schools,” said Shabir Ahmad Kar, whose kid is studying in Delhi Public School.
