Bill to regulate fees in private schools tabled

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday introduced the UP Self-Financed Independent Schools (Fees Regulation) Bill, 2018 in the state Assembly. 

The bill seeks to provide for regulation of fees in self-financed independent schools in the state.

The statement of objectives and reason states that it had been brought to the notice of the state government that the self-financed schools are enhancing fees arbitrarily without consulting the guardians of their students for want of effective law regulating the fees charged by such educational institutions from their students. 

It states that in the absence of a law, the students and their parents have to face unnecessary financial burden which adversely affects the education of students and this is not in public interest.

The statement further says, “Besides this, such schools/colleges utilise a large amount of the surplus fund collected annually as fee from the students... is against the students welfare.  

In says that in view of the above circumstances, the government has decided to make a law to provide for fixation of fees in self-financed independent schools.  

The Governor on April 8 had promulgated an ordinance in this regard as the state legislature was not in session. The bill has been introduced to replace the ordinance.

The bill for curbing the menace of arbitrary hike in fees by private schools every year, provides for setting up of district regulatory committees headed by the district magistrate. 

The committee will also include a chartered accountant, a PWD engineer not below the rank of the executive engineer of PWD, and senior officer from the UP State Finance and Accounts Services. The committee will also include a representative of parents’’ association, an eminent principal/manager of self-financed schools and district inspector of schools.