FRCs for school fee regularisation soon

HYDERABAD: The state will soon have fee regulatory committees across all districts, assured Education minister Kadiyam Srihari.  Srihari was responding to a query by Congress MLC Shabbir Ali on the government’s stand on regulation of school fees at the Council on Monday. He said the committee headed by prof Tirupati Rao, former vice-chancellor of Osmania University, is on the job to accumulate recommendations of parents as well as schools, and frame them to regulate the fee.

“There is no denying that the fee in corporate and private schools are high. But once the report is submitted by November end, schools will have to collect fee as per its recommendations,” said the minister. He also said that the government was committed to its cause of dealing with educational institutions that flout rules. As many as 162 schools were sent notices for charging excess fee and initiating admission process early. “But those schools approached the court and got a stay so we are not able to take action against them,” he said. Junior Colleges that have been flouting Board of Intermediate norms too have been issued notices seeking explanation within a month. 

A district-wise registry of all educational institutions that fulfil the requisites would be available online by March,thus allowing parents to admit their children only in those institutions that are recognised and affiliated. The minister also advised parents to not fall for fancy names of schools or pay donation for admissions. 

Despite the fee issue being raised in Assembly, parents expressed concern that the deadline set during the last meeting was November 15 and not the month end. “If the government has given further extension to the Committee, it only means further delay,” said Ashish Naredi from Hyderabad Schools Parents Association. He added that parents would have been assured of government’s intention had the minister given a deadline for setting up of DFRC, and backed his statement by passing an order to stop fee hike for next year.

No admissions till govt notifies
Taking cognisance that admissions for ensuing academic year in a number of private schools have already begun despite the current academic year being full five months away from ending, director and commissioner of school education issued a circular stating new admissions will commence only on the date notified by government. The communique instructed all regional joint directors of school education/DEOs to ensure no admissions take place now. It clarifies that academic year in the sate is from June 12 to August 31.

‘Govt not taking back lands assigned to SCs’
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said that the report of the House Committee against former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ponnala Laxmaiah’s alleged enjoyment of SC’s land would be made public soon.  Intervening during a short debate in the State Legislative Assembly on ‘Purification and Updation of Land Records’ on Monday, Rao refuted the allegations levelled by Congress member Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka that the State government was taking back the assigned lands allotted to SCs and STs. “We are not taking back any assigned land,” Rao said. Meanwhile, MIM member Akbaruddin Owaisi demanded that the Endowment and Wakf lands should be restored to the respective institutions. The debate on purification of land would be continued on Tuesday.