FFRC permits pvt schools to hike transport fee by 14 pc

Srinagar, Oct 07: The Committee for Fixation and Regulation of Fee (FFRC) of private schools of Jammu and Kashmir Friday permitted recognized private institutions to hike bus fees by 14 percent (pc) and subsequently made it applicable from March-2022.
Chairperson of FFRC Justice (Retd) Muzaffar Hussain Attar and three other members of the committee in an order said, “The FFRC after considering all the relevant aspects and after giving thoughtful consideration to the representations made and material provided by the stakeholders in tune with statutory prescriptions has resolved that it would be appropriate to allow hike in transport fee in all the schools in the manner framed by the committee.
According to FFRC, “The schools in the winter zones shall be entitled to a 14 percent hike in the transport fee, which the schools in the winter zone were charging and collecting in the month of October-2019.”
Attar said that in respect of the schools falling under the summer zone shall be entitled to a hike of 14 percent in the bus fee, which the schools in the summer zone were charging and collecting in the month of February-2020.
“The transport fee hike shall be applicable from March-2022 in both the zones, when the schools resumed physical class-work after lockdown,” reads the order.
The order states that the schools whose bus fee hike crosses Rs 2000 shall be entitled to charge and collect only Rs 2000 and the hike shall restrict the upper limits of bus fee hike to Rs 2000 only.
“All the schools shall faithfully and honestly follow the decision of the FFRC and implement the same in letter and spirit,” Attar said adding, “If any school management who in the peculiar circumstances of the school needs bus fee beyond Rs 2000 shall have to submit its proposal to FFRC along with relevant documents with proper justification, to enable it to take a decision thereon in accordance with law.”
The committee said that the information provided by various stakeholders shows a huge yawning gap between the transport fee charged in urban, rural and village areas. “It has been brought to the notice of the FFRC that a school in rural area is charging Rs 600 per month for distance of 0-4 Kilometers, while another school is charging Rs 600 for 0 – 8 Kilometers and yet another school is charging Rs 700 for 0- 7 Kilometers.”