Taking serious objection to the draft policy on fee fixation in private schools, managements from schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCSE) have decided to file objections to the policy.
In the tussle between school managements and the department, parents will have to continue to bear the burnt as it appears unlikely that the private schools would adhere to policy for the coming academic year.
Over 230 representatives from ICSE and CBSE schools “unanimously” passed a resolution on Tuesday that a policy cannot be fixed for private schools. “Each school has a unique functioning and the department cannot pass a policy as it would have an adverse impact on the quality of education imparted,” Mansoor Ali Khan, general secretary, management of independent CBSE schools association said.
Terming the draft policy unscientific, Mr. Khan said, “The draft guidelines stipulate that we pay a teacher Rs. 13,600. Where can we find a teacher for that amount? The department needs to take note of reality. On one hand, they want us to pay our staff on par with the Sixth Pay Commission and on the other hand they stipulate such unrealistic figures,” he said, adding that the draft policy was prepared without consulting any CBSE and ICSE schools.
Private school managements have opposed the draft policy as it calculates the fee by placing a cap on the number of teaching and non-teaching staff they can hire. Besides, they have also said that recurring costs, such as electricity, water, furniture and stationery, could not be paid from the amount stipulated by the department, which is 30 per cent of the teaching and non-teaching staff salary. The Karnataka State Private School Management Federation has also mentioned that the draft has not considered the cost of computer education and other technology costs while chalking out the fees.
The Karnataka Private Schools – Joint Action Committee (KAP-JAC) has written a letter to the Commissioner for Public Instruction to extend the date for filing objections.
