Question : Exorbitant Fee Collection During Pandemic

(a) whether the Government is aware of arbitrariness of private schools in commercialisation of education in the country and the problems being faced by the common people due to exorbitant increase in the fee charged by the private schools across the country particularly during prevailing pandemic situation ;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government proposes to make any policy in this regard and to set up any regulatory body to monitor all the aspects of the functioning of private schools and if so, the details thereof;
(d) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to ensure admission of the children belonging to Economically Weaker Sections of society in the private schools as per the quota prescribed for them; and
(e) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to improve the standard of education in the private schools in coordination with the State Governments?

MINISTER OF EDUCATION

(SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

(a) to (c) and (e): Education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and schools, other than those owned / funded by Central Government, are under the jurisdiction of the State Governments. Thus, the matter relating to fees and its components in schools are regulated in terms of Rules and Instructions of the State Government concerned. It is for the respective State Government concerned to take necessary action against such schools which violate the Rules and Instructions of the State Government in the matter. So far as schools affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) are concerned, the Board has issued circular on 17th April, 2020 to all the State Education Department with the request to
consider issuing suitable instructions on periodicity of payment of school fees and payment of salaries to the teaching and non-teaching staff to be applicable during the period of pandemic. The circular can be accessed on the website https://www.lms.org.in/assets/front/pdf/Fee_payment_Circular_dated17April2020.pdf
The new National Education Policy (NEP) – 2020 provides that "An effective quality self-regulation or accreditation system will be instituted for all stages of education including pre-school education - private, public, and philanthropic - to ensure compliance with essential quality standards. To ensure that all schools follow certain minimal professional and quality standards, States/UTs will set up an independent, State-wide, body called the State School Standards Authority (SSSA). The SSSA will establish a minimal set of standards based on basic parameters (namely, safety, security, basic infrastructure, number of teachers across subjects and grades, financial probity, and sound processes of governance), which shall be followed by all schools.
(d): The Right of Children to Free and compulsory Education Act, 2009, mandates the appropriate Government to provide free and compulsory elementary education to every child of the age 6 to 14 years in a neighborhood school. Section 12(1) (c) of RTE Act, 2009 provides for admission of children belonging to weaker sections and disadvantaged groups in the neighborhood schools in Class I to the extent of at least 25 percent of the strength of that class.
The Central Government has been supporting States and UTs for implementation of various provisions of the Act including expenditure incurred towards reimbursement to private schools for admissions of children under Section 12(1)(c) from 2014-15. The support is provided on the basis of per-child cost notified by the concerned State and UT for children in class 1 and above. For implementation of Section 12(1) (c) of the RTE Act, the respective State and UT Government is the appropriate government under the RTE Act.
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