Parents allege private schools charging annual fees despite FFRC order

Srinagar, Feb 20: Despite the fee panel’s clear order not to charge annual fees for the period from November 2022 to March 2023 following the change of academic calendar by the government, parents Monday alleged that private schools are asking them to pay the annual fee for the five months period.
In the month of November last year, the order issued by the J&K Committee for Fixation and Regulation of Fee of Private Schools (FFRC) directed all schools in the valley not to charge annual fees for the period from November 2022 to March 2023 following the change of academic calendar by the government.
FFRC chairman Justice MH Attar had said that any breach in the order will result in initiating action according to law.
The order was issued in response to some top schools of the valley, asking parents to pay the annual fee for the five months period as the current academic session had been extended by virtue of the government order.
Asma Goni, Convener of the Parents Association of Privately Administered Schools (PAPAS) said that the schools are creating confusion despite having an order from FFRC in place.
She said, “After the issuance of the order, a top school had approached the court of law and pleaded that the schools were not taken into consideration while making the order so the court had directed FFRC to call the schools over the issue. The court has not mentioned anywhere that the order of FFRC is null and void. The Director of School Education had also passed directions that no other fee will be taken apart from tuition fees. The administration must take strict action against the schools for asking the annual charges of the extended months.”
Asma, a parent, said that the schools are not accepting tuition fees without annual charge. “The school administration has refused to take the tuition fee without an annual charge. We have paid Rs 3800 as annual fee for the April-May 2022 session and now for these extended 5 months, we are told to pay Rs1680 extra. What activities schools have done in these extra 5 months? There is no accountability.”
GN Var, President of Private Schools Associations of Kashmir said the fee fixation committee which is entrusted with the regulation of the school’s fee, is headless from mid-November. “Now the vacations have come to an end, schools have no regulations about the fee hike because the committee is non-operational. We have brought this matter to the notice of the Chief Secretary but no action has been taken so far.”