The Odisha Parent Associations' Forum (OPAF) on Wednesday demanded early dissolution of the Fees Regulatory Committee (FRC), alleging that it was formed by the State Government in the interests of businessmen running private schools.
“We have been demanding that the Government enact a law to fix and regulate fees to be collected by private schools. The Fees Regulatory Committee, which has no constitutional and legal status, is not taking opinions of parents and is violating orders of the Supreme Court and High Court.
It has been formed to benefit businessmen running private schools,” alleged OPAF president DR Gagan Bihari Rout and others at a Press meet here. Rout pointed out that the FRC is not taking income and expenditure of schools, reserved funds, necessary and unnecessary spending and annual budget of a school and instead taking a partial decision allowing schools to collect separate fees for admission, readmission, examination and various activities.
“We want that tuition fee should be calculated on the basis of academic expenditure of a school,” said Rout.
Rout also mentioned that the committee formed by the Government has no rule of grievance mechanism.
Stating that the State Government is trying to rein parents, the forum demanded that committee be dissolved at the earliest and the Government enact a law for collection and regulation of fees by private schools.
Among others, OPAF advisors Rabi Das, Jayanta Dasworking president Sanjukta Panigrahi, VPs Krishna Chandra Ojha, Satyabrata Parija, general secretary Bhumohan B Patnaik, joint general secretary Nanda Kishore Mallick were present.