Govt imposes restrictions on fee hike

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 2:  The School Education Department has issued an order regarding the regulation of fee structure in private educational institutions, directing them to charge only such fee including bus fee etc. from the students as was being collected on August 2014 and no increase in such fee structure shall be made under any “Head” whatsoever.
As per the order, any school wishing to enhance its fee structure must approach the committee for  fixation of the fee structure, constituted in compliance of the Supreme Court directions in the case Islamic Academy of Education Vs State of Karnataka.
Any enhancement under any Head of the fee structure without concurrence of the Committee for the fixation of the fee structure will be illegal and may lead to de-recognition besides being liable for contempt of the Court orders. Any student/parent of a student aggrieved by any such action on the part of any school may approach the committee with a formal complaint/information on the email idchairmanffe@gmail.com.
Complaints in this regard can also be filed in the office of the committee at the Directorate of School Education complex Muthi camp,Jammu or House No 46/1post office Lane Hyderpora (near J&K Bank Srinagar).
In another Government order regarding safe transportation, boarding/de-boarding arrangements etc. for school children which  has been issued by the School Education Department, it has been made mandatory for all the schools to have a traffic management plan ensuring safe boarding/de-boarding arrangements within the premises and the roads abutting the school by ensuring that boarding/de-boarding takes places under adult supervision at predetermined locations, preferably with one way movement, employing sufficient staff to ensure proper management in consultation with the traffic police and as per the essential requirement laid down by the Traffic department.
These traffic management arrangements shall be displayed in detail including details of staff deployed on the website of the institute and also at a prominent place in the school building accessible to parents. In order to ensure compliance to these directions for the safety of school children inspections shall be conducted by committees headed by Principal HSS who is cluster head of area, ZEO/ZEPO of the zone, JKBOSE representatives, traffic department’s representatives and also two parents of the children studying in the school. Directors of School Education have been asked to notify a schedule to complete inspections within one month/ a complaint redressal mechanism shall also be put in place by the Directors and JKBOSE. These directions shall apply to all schools irrespective of their affiliation.