Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Nov 11: The Committee for Fixation and Regulation of Fee of Private Schools, (FFRC) has pulled up the Green Valley Educational Institute (GVEI) for charging excess transportation fee while directing it to immediately refund the same and charge it as per the directives issued.
It said that the school has been found charging excess money on account of transport fee against the fee determination order while directing the school to refund the excess to students/parents within 30 days
“The Principal and Chairman of the School are further directed to charge and collect from students…the transport fee as was being charged in October 2019 with 14% hike thereon from the date school opened for providing the offline education to the students in the year 2022,” it said.
In this regard, FFRC said, a parent whose ward is studying in Green Valley Educational Institute Ellahi Bagh Buchpora Srinagar complained that till 2020 he was paying transport fee @Rs 1400 for his ward, but now the school administration, instead of making a hike of Rs 1470 is asking for payment of Rs. 2000/- per month on account of transport fee.
FFRC said that the complainant also stated that in the fee booklet the school management has added an extra amount for two months as the previous balance while it ordered the school to follow the directives issued.
“The complaint was put up before the Chairperson and it was ordered that the Principal/ Chairman of the school will file a response within two days failing which it will be presumed that whatever is alleged in the complainant is true. Meanwhile, the school management is implementing FFRC orders and forbear to charge fee which are not permissible,” FFRC said.
FFRC said that in reply the Principal has stated that the bus fee is outstanding against the complainant from July 2019 and the complainant has been asked to clear the transport charges from July 2019, March 2020 and March 2021.
The school, as per the FFRC said that the complainant was given the choice to opt-out of the school transport and use private transport and it was mutually agreed that the complainant’s ward will use transport and will pay as per the prescribed fee way back in February 2022.
The school, FFRC said, also stated that the institution has been incurring a huge loss in transport. “While concluding the reply, the Principal has requested the FFRC to ask the parent to arrange private transport.”
The FFRC said that as per its order, it has allowed schools to make a hike by 14% on the transport fee which was being charged in October 2019 in winter zone schools. “By making the hike as above the student has to pay Rs 1596 as transport fee from March 2022 when the school resumed off-line teaching; asking student/Parent to pay Rs 2000 as transport fee which is not denied by the Principal.”
The committee said that the parent has yet again sent mail to the FFRC about his grievance and the suggestion of the principal to ask the student not to avail of school transport is highly objectionable and speaks volumes about the arrogant attitude of school management.
“In view of aforesaid circumstances the Principal and School Chairman are found guilty in terms of clause d of Rule 12 of Jammu and Kashmir Private Schools (Fixation, Determination and Regulation of fee) Rules, 2022 (Rules of 2022),” FFRC said.
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