Page 40 - EW-June-2025

Cover Story

21) when in its questionable wisdom ties of up to Rs.5 lakh for
the Union government mandated the the first violation and
world’s most prolonged closure of higher for subsequent vio-
schools (national average: 540 days), lation and/or withdrawal
several state governments issued pub- of recognition by the state
lic notices advising parents not to pay government.
tuition fees on the ground that school “The injustice of the
campuses had been shutdown. This Gujarat Self-Financed
notwithstanding the reality that insti- School Act is that whereas
tutional managements had incurred in other states, regulatory
considerable expense installing digi- committees adjudicate
tal infrastructure to switch to online annual fee increases, in
learning, continuing to pay teacher Gujarat FRC determines
salaries and maintain school cam- the tuition fee chargeable
puses and facilities in anticipation of by every private school for
lifting of the lockdown. Choksi (right): unintended outcomes three years with an annu-
A T THAT TIME (JULY threatened with imminent closure although the base fee is supposed to be
al 5 percent increase. And
(https://www.educationworld.in/3-
based on documentation presented by
2020), in a cover story ti-
tled ‘Neta-babu Brother-
is arbitrary, based mainly on parents
However, all these warnings and
hood Destroying Private prong-assault-on-private-schools/) . every school, the fees-setting process
Education’ we wrote: “State govern- admonitions have had little impact on demands. The fees setting process of
ments across the country have issued most state governments which under the FRC is non-transparent and var-
a spate of notifications and circulars pressure from middle class parents, ies widely for comparable schools.
ordering private school managements have enacted tough fees regulation Consequently, there are a lot of unin-
to waive or defer tuition fees for the laws to control and contain private tended outcomes such as levying ille-
March-June quarter. Coterminously, school fees. gal admission fees, teacher layoffs and
school managements are directed to Despite the ruling BJP/NDA gov- cutting corners in education delivery.
continue to pay salaries and emolu- ernment’s several initiatives to speed As a result, genuine, idealistic educa-
ments of their teachers and support up industry and economic liberalisa- tion providers are reluctant to expand
staff. School promoters, principals tion and improve the ease of doing operations, creating opportunities
and managements who fail to com- business, the BJP government of Guja- for unscrupulous elements to enter
ply are being threatened with pros- rat enacted the Gujarat Self-Financed education spaces. Indian education
ecution under several provisions of Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act, would greatly benefit if government
the Disaster Management Act, 2005. 2017. Under the Act, private schools, would focus on developing govern-
With parents of school-going children including pre-primary, primary, sec- ment schools as our competitors. This
encouraged to breach their contract ondary, and higher secondary institu- would force private schools to reduce
to pay their children’s school fees by tions prior to commencement of every tuition fees,” says Manan Choksi,
confusing government notifications, academic year, are obliged to submit a qualified chartered accountant
and public sector banks reluctant to proposed fee structures to a Fee Regu- and executive director of the CBSE-
provide credit, a large and growing latory Committee (FRC) for approval affiliated Udgam School for Children,
number of private schools — especial- which is granted for three years with ranked Ahmedabad’s #1 co-ed day
ly budget private schools — are laying a 5 percent increase permitted annu- school in the EW India School Rank-
off teachers and staff and contemplat- ally. Schools levying fees without FRC ings 2024-25.
ing closure”. approval or exceeding the sanctioned Despite the fact that private schools
Again, a few months later (April amount, are liable to pay stiff penal- fees in India are arguably the lowest
2021) in a cover feature titled ‘3-Prong worldwide (see box p.39) parents’
Attack on Private Schools’, we report- call for government intervention to
ed that with the Central government Despite Indian private supervise and regulate fees of private
denying them MSME status, state school fees being lowest schools is rooted in widespread belief
governments slashing tuition and that private school promoters and
other fees and parent communities worldwide, there's managements earn enormous prof-
unwilling to pay contracted fees, pri- widespread belief they its. “Several surveys indicate that pri-
vate schools — especially affordable earn huge profits vate school tuition fees in India have
Budget Private Schools (BPS) – were surged by 50-80 percent over the past

40 EDUCATIONWORLD JUNE 2025