Proposals for fee structure of private schools in Assam under scrutiny

Proposed estimated fees Rs 700 crore 

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Private schools in the state collect huge amounts annually in the name of students' fees. The private schools have submitted their proposed fee structure to the state government for the new academic year 2024-25, which amounts to around Rs 700 crore in total.

To fix the fees that can be collected by private schools, the state government has a fees regulating committee under the Assam Non-Government Educational Institution (Regularization of Fees) Act, 2018. Every private school has to submit its proposed fee structure for the new academic session before it starts. The committee scrutinizes the fee proposals and recommends the maximum limits of fees to be charged by different categories of private schools every year before the start of the new academic session.

Sources said that 4,295 private schools in the state have submitted their proposed fee structures to the fees regulating committee. School-wise, there is a limit of a minimum of Rs one crore or less and a maximum of Rs 40 crore that can be collected as fees by different categories of schools. Sources further said that, out of the Rs 700 crore proposed to be collected as fees, just 40 of the schools have submitted proposals to collect around Rs 370 crore as fees in the new academic year.

The committee has the power to verify whether the fee proposed by the private schools is justified and whether it amounts to profiteering or the charging of exorbitant fees. Before approving the fixation of the fees, the committee examines the location of the school, the strength of the students enrolled, the qualifications of the teachers, the infrastructure made available to the students, the investment incurred to set up the school, etc.

Schools cannot charge more than the recommended fees, and the committee is empowered to impose penalties in such cases. In the event of any complaint by a school regarding the recommended fee structure, the committee has provision for a revision of its original decision.

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