Fee issue: Pvt schools get breather from SC

In a breather to schools in the fee regulation law, the Supreme Court on Monday ordered that no coercive action should be taken against schools that have not yet submitted their fee proposals before the fee regulatory committee, even as it fixed February 1 as the next date for hearing the matter.

The Federation of Self Financed Schools had filed an appeal in the Apex Court, challenging the Gujarat High Court's order upholding constitutional validity of the Gujarat Self Financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act, 2017, which capped school fees in the state.

The Act had put an upper ceiling of Rs 15,000 on annual fees for primary schools, Rs 25,000 for secondary education, and Rs 27,000 for higher secondary education. The law, however, permits schools to charge a higher fee from students, with an approval for the same from the fee regulatory committee by justifying the higher fee.

In its order, the High Court had allowed the self financed schools to submit their fee proposals to the committee.

Appearing for the federation of schools, senior advocate Kapil Sibal said that school fees for Kendriya Vidyalayas were fixed at Rs 98,000 per student, while private schools in the state would have to cap it at Rs 27,000.

Attorney General KK Venugopal, appearing for the state, suggested that it would be more appropriate to make a representation before the fee committee.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Gujarat government, argued that representations could be made only by those schools who were charging more than Rs 25,000 as fees, and added that 80% schools in the state had no objection to the same.

While fixing the next date of hearing, the Supreme Court allowed processing of applications for schools that had voluntarily approached the fee regulatory committee.