Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 2: Division Bench of State High Court comprising Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur today directed the State to make functional committee constituted for fixation of fee structure of the private schools within one week and till then the management of the un-aided private schools shall collect all type of fees as in August 2014.
The direction was passed in a suo-moto Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and connected cases highlighting the plight of the school going students due to unprecedented floods that hit Kashmir during the month of September 2014.
Though a petition, the J&K Un-aided Private Schools Coordination Committee challenged the Government Order No.520 of 2013 dated May 7, 2013 constituting a committee for fixation of fee structure in private educational institutions in the State.
The Chairman of the Committee, who was also a former Chief Justice of Orissa High Court, having got some other assignment, relinquished the post and the committee became non-functional. The High Court also granted order of status quo on the Government Order No.520 by order dated October 11, 2013.
Now, the Division Bench has directed that the Committee constituted pursuant to Government Order No.520 being non-functional due to resignation of the Chairman, shall be made functional by nominating a retired Judge of the High Court as Chairman within one week for fixation of free structure of the private schools.
“The managements of the un-aided private schools are granted liberty to approach the committee for fixation of fee structure of each standard and till new fee structure is fixed by the committee, the managements shall collect all type of fees as in August 2014”, the DB directed, adding “if any school management is not satisfied with the fees to be fixed by the committee, it is open for them to approach this court for redressing their grievances”.
The DB further said, “if any of the school management has not been provided with the flood relief for rebuilding of the school buildings, library etc, the liberty is granted to such school managements to approach the concerned authority of the Government seeking flood relief and if any such request is made the same shall be considered with all seriousness and appropriate amount be sanctioned as per the guidelines already finalized by the Government”.
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