School Education and Literacy Department Secretary Umashankar Singh has written a letter to all the divisional commissioners and district deputy commissioners and directed them to form a school fee committee at school, district and divisional level within 15 days.

After questions were raised in the assembly during the budget session regarding arbitrariness in fee fixation by private schools, the School Education and Literacy Department has decided to crack down on it.

The school fee committee will be formed in the light of Jharkhand Education Tribunal Amendment Act 2017. The departmental secretary has also attached a copy of the Act, which has detailed mention of the provision of school fee fixation.

A petition was filed in the Jharkhand High Court against the arbitrary determination of fees by private schools. Hearing that petition, the court ordered the state government to form a school fee fixation committee in 2013.

In the light of that order of the court, Jharkhand Education Tribunal was enacted to constitute fee fixation committees. But several petitions were filed in the High Court against this action of the state. Hearing a total of 36 petitions filed in the case of DBMS Kadma vs State of Jharkhand and Others, the High Court dismissed all the petitions on March 13, 2024.

After this, the matter of arbitrary fee fixation by private schools was raised in the Assembly recently. Departmental Minister Ramdas Soren had assured the House that arbitrary fee fixation by private schools would be curbed.

As per the provision of Jharkhand Education Tribunal Act 2017, now a committee will be formed at the school level. The committee will look into the appropriate reasons for the fee hike. It will look at the facilities being provided by the school, salaries of teachers and staff and other necessary reasons. It will look at the facilities being provided to the students for quality education in the school, income received by the schools from tuition fees and other things. Then the committee will approve the fee within 30 days of receiving the proposed fee structure.

The committee formed for fee determination at the school level will include the parents of the children as well as teachers. The representative nominated by the private school management will be the chairman of the committee. The school principal, secretary, three teachers nominated by the school management and four parents nominated by the teachers' union will be its members.

The school management will have to give information about the agenda and meeting of fee determination one week in advance. If the school committee fails to determine the fee within the stipulated time, then the management will place this proposal before the district level committee. If the fee is increased by more than 10 percent in the school compared to the previous year, then also it will be sent to the district committee.

A committee will be formed under the chairmanship of DC at the district level. Apart from DSE, DEO, DTO, two principals of private schools, MP, MLA of the concerned area and two parents, a chartered accountant will also be in this committee. If the school is not satisfied with the decision of the district level committee, then it can appeal against it before the divisional commissioner.