The annual fee fixed by the Justice Govindarajan Committee for self-financing schools based on the location of the institution, the infrastructure facilities, the faculty strength and other quality parameters has evoked a mixed response in Tiruchi district.
Anxious representatives of nursery and primary schools, and matriculation higher secondary schools who received the fee specification individually from the Chief Educational Officer, K. Swaminathan, and the Inspector of Matriculation Schools, V. Jeyakumar, at the Bishop Heber Boys' Higher Secondary School, Puthur, on Monday, depicted feelings of relief, disbelief, and even annoyance over the fee fixation.
Of the 459 schools about which the Education Department in the districts had forwarded particulars to the private school fee fixation committee, representatives of 343 schools were informed of the specific fee amounts they were entitled to collect for each standard, exclusive of hostel fee and transport fee. For the rest of the 116 school, the communication is awaited.
According to a school head, the fee reduction would hamper the schools from hiking salaries for teachers and carrying out infrastructure development. There have been instances wherein the fee amounts have been untouched. In the case of a private aided school running English medium sections, the committee has hiked the fee to the extent of over 40 per cent, to the relief of the management.
The newly fixed fee will be in place for the next three years or until they receive a communication from the Government.
Handing over the letter to the school heads, Dr. Swaminathan reminded the institutions that those flouting the norms of the Justice Govindarajan Committee will be de-recognised.
Those schools that are not happy with the fee fixation have the option of writing to the committee seeking reconsideration of fee structure within 15 days. The committee will consider their case and reply to them within 30 days, the CEO said. The 343 schools that were provided the fee specifications constituted 217 nursery and primary schools, 78 matriculation schools, and 48 high and higher secondary schools. The committee has fixed the fee even for the 19 CBSE and ICSE schools in the district, the CEO said.
Acknowledgement about receipt of letters from the Committee was received from the school heads on the spot.
The District Educational Officers, V. Radhakrishnan (Tiruchi), P. Stephen Sundararaj (Lalgudi) and S. Krishnamoorthy (Musiri) were also present on the occasion.
