The private schools in Baramulla are charging hefty amount as annual charges at the time of admission of the students in schools.
These schools have fixed the annual charges without the approval of the competent authorities.
These institutions have resorted to this practice after the government banned the charging capitation fee post implementation of RTE Act in J&K.
The parents are being fleeced despite the orders of the district administration for not charging annual charges or accepting any donation from the parents.
The instructions were issued by the Deputy Commissioner Baramulla recently after receiving complaints against the private schools of the district.
The complaints have been received against the Apex Public School, Sopore and Saint Joseph’s Higher Secondary School, Baramulla that are charging capitation fee at the time of admission in violation of the government order.
“I admitted my child in Apex School and was I charged Rs 48,000. To my surprise, I was given a receipt for only Rs 3000,” said a parent.
He said the school either charges a one-time Rs 48000 from the parents for new admission or asks them to pay Rs 15000 per year for next five years.
“Saint Joseph’s school is also charging around Rs 60,000 from parents as donation or capitation fee,” another parent said.
Amid the complaints, the district administration earlier convened a meeting with the schools owners and instructed them not to charge any donation or annual charges from the parents keeping in view the prevailing situation.
The schools in the meeting had stated that the annual charges were collected from the parents to raise the school infrastructure.
“Ultimately, it is the parents who have to pay and the concern of the government is that under the conditions of austerity, the parent’s should not get overburdened,” read the minutes of the meeting.
In the meeting, the schools were instructed that raising school infrastructure could be delayed for some time so that the people may heave a sigh of relief.
“The annual fee should be charged in installments and the installments should be of comfortable volume affordable to the poorest of the poor,” the minutes of the meeting read.
Meanwhile, the administration has asked the schools to adjust the charges that they have already levied in the form of annual fee for multiple years towards the tuition fee on the request of the parents duly endorsed and accounted for by the district administration.