Pay fees per school's decision till SC order in

Parents of school students in Gujarat, eagerly awaiting the implementation of the Fees Regulation Act (FRA), will have to wait longer, while the schools decide on the provisional fee amount. Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said on Thursday that as per the interim order of the Supreme Court, the schools will decide on the provisional fees to be paid, until the final order of court arrives.

Chudasama addressed a press conference in Gandhinagar following the interim order of the court. Private schools have challenged the order of the Gujarat High Court upholding the FRA in the Supreme Court. Chudasama said, "The interim order of the court suggests that the parents are victorious in the case, as the apex court also upheld the FRA. The SC has also ordained that the act will come to effect from this year. Meanwhile, a provisional fees needs to be paid till the final Supreme Court order is in."

"The court has also suggested that committees should be formed at regional levels under the chairmanship of a retired high court or district court judge. The committee will have the power to decide the cut off for the fees that schools can charge. The committees will also hear out the schools for the same and take their suggestions into consideration. The final cut off will be submitted before the court and it will come into effect the moment it is approved," added Chudasama.

The minister also said that once the final order of the SC arrives and the cut off is finalised, the parents will get the additional amount back. It is also likely that the state-level committee may revise the cut off limit for fees. However, the minister avoided commenting on it.

Sunaina Tomar, the principal secretary of the education department, was also present at the press conference. She said, "We cannot say if the committee will increase the cut off limit of fees under FRA for certain."

The state government had decided the annual cut off fees for primary section at Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000 and Rs 27,000 for secondary and higher secondary sections, respectively. The Education Minister also warned schools against debarring Class 10 and 12 students for not paying the fees.

Chudasama said, "It has come to our knowledge that some schools are doing this and we have taken a serious note of it. This will not be tolerated in any case and if the same comes to our notice again, we will take strict actions against such schools."