Donations in Disguise, Interviewing Kids | SED to authorise DCs to take erring schools to task

Srinagar, Feb 23: The ban on private schools from collecting capitation (donation) fees and putting kids to screening at the time of admissions has become a persistent problem as the repeated orders by the J&K government have failed to see any implementation on the ground.

Despite repeated government orders, the private schools are continuing with the practice of collecting donations (admission fees) under the guise of other heads like development funds and other charges, in violation of the repeated government orders.

Given the poor implementation of the instructions, the government has been forced to issue repeated orders to tighten the noose against the private schools collecting capitation fees from the parents.

On December 23, 2023, the DSEK through the circular instructions warned the private schools to cancel their registration and to impose a penalty for collecting capitation fees and forcing kids to undergo screening tests at the time of admission in kindergarten classes.

The directorate warned the private schools to desist from charging the capitation fee and other non-notified fees as well.

However, the schools continued to collect the “non-notified” fees from parents without giving a receipt against the payments made to the school management.

The parents of the kids complained that the schools were still collecting donations from the parents in violation of the rules.

On December 23, Director School Education Kashmir, Tasaduq Hussain Mir in a circular said that Section 13 of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, clarifies that no school or person should while admitting a child collect any capitation fee and subject the child or his or her parents or guardian to any screening procedure.

“If any school or person in contravention of the provisions of subsection (a) receives a capitation fee, it will be punishable with a fine which may extend to 10 times the capitation fee charged,” the circular reads.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, Mir said that a meeting was recently convened by the Administrative Department with the Fee Fixation and Regulation Committee (FFRC) wherein it was suggested that the concerned Deputy Commissioners (DCs) would be authorised to address the issue in their respective districts.

“We are mulling to take up the matter with all the DCs and they will be authorised to directly deal with the matter in their respective districts. The DCs can also utilise the services of other officers vested with magistrate powers to act against the schools charging admission fees from parents,” DSEK said.