Gandhinagar: The state govt told the assembly on Thursday that over the past two years, 3,175 private schools applied for a fee hike before the fee regulatory committee (FRC). Responding to a question on schools charging more fees than sanctioned, the minister said that in the past two years, only 12% of the private schools in Gujarat applied for a fee hike, while 88% filed affidavits stating that there was no fee hike in their schools.
“In the last two years, out of 26,110 self-financed schools in the state, 12%, or 3,175 schools, applied for a fee increase with the fee regulatory committees, while the remaining 22,935 schools, or 88%, submitted affidavits stating no fee increase,” the minister stated in response to a question during question hour in the assembly.
In response to a supplementary question on what steps are being taken to ensure that schools comply with FRC orders, the minister said that under the provisions of Section 14 of the Gujarat Self-financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act, 2017, a self-financed school can be fined up to Rs 5 lakh for the first violation, Rs 5 to 10 lakh for the second violation, and for the third violation, the school’s recognition and NOC can be revoked.
In addition to recovering this fine, the school must also return double the amount of the excess fees collected from students, and the repayment must be made within 15 days, the minister said. If not paid within this period, a penalty of 1% per day on the total amount due will be imposed until the amount is settled, he added.
“In the last two years, out of 26,110 self-financed schools in the state, 12%, or 3,175 schools, applied for a fee increase with the fee regulatory committees, while the remaining 22,935 schools, or 88%, submitted affidavits stating no fee increase,” the minister stated in response to a question during question hour in the assembly.
In response to a supplementary question on what steps are being taken to ensure that schools comply with FRC orders, the minister said that under the provisions of Section 14 of the Gujarat Self-financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act, 2017, a self-financed school can be fined up to Rs 5 lakh for the first violation, Rs 5 to 10 lakh for the second violation, and for the third violation, the school’s recognition and NOC can be revoked.
In addition to recovering this fine, the school must also return double the amount of the excess fees collected from students, and the repayment must be made within 15 days, the minister said. If not paid within this period, a penalty of 1% per day on the total amount due will be imposed until the amount is settled, he added.