Gujarat government raises upper limit for fees in private schools

The state government on Wednesday raised the upper limit for fees for higher secondary students in the science stream in private schools to Rs 30,000 per year from the earlier cap of Rs 27,000. The cut-off was revised by the state government after the Supreme Court, in its interim order earlier this month, directed it to do so after hearing representations from the schools and parents' associations.

"Considering that schools have to spend on laboratories for its science stream, like purchase of chemicals and appointment of laboratory assistants, we have decided to raise the cut-off for higher secondary (science) to Rs 30,000 from Rs 27,000 presently," state education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said. The government had left the upper fee limits for pre-primary and primary, secondary and higher secondary (general) unchanged at Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively, Chudasama added. "Private schools charging fees more than the prescribed limit will need to submit their proposal with the fee regulatory committee (FRC) before imposing any hike within two weeks, that is by March 14," he said.

The revised cut-off is provisional as per the apex court order. The fee limits had been fixed as per the Gujarat Self Financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act, which came into force in April last year, with the aim to control the "exorbitant fees" charged by private schools "in the absence of a clear law" regarding it. The Act was challenged by a federation of self-financed schools in the High Court which, in its December 27 order, held the Act "constitutionally valid." This order by HC was challenged in the Supreme Court which, in its interim order, directed the state government to reconstitute the fee regulation committee and revisional authority. The apex court had also directed that the upper limit for fees to be charged by private schools, as decided in the Act, should be revised.

It also ordered that no coercive action be taken against schools which did not meet the deadline to submit its proposal with the FRC.

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