CPI(M) demands Pvt School fee and education regulation legislation

CPI(M) and various Pvt parents association demanded to regulate fees and other educational activities in the 3415 pvt schools of state to help as many as six lakh students,  ten lakh parents and 20 per cent population of the state .
In a memorandum submitted to the Director Higher education here today Parent Students Munch convener said that a copy of draft legislation should be enacted to provide the relief to the affected students to end the monopoly of private school.
Drawing the attention of the Department over the issues of education impacting about seventeen lakh people Mr Mahra said that Monopoly of private school to charge exorbitant fees and other charges should come to an end.
He said that the department would regulate the fee structure, other issues related to education in the private school considering suggestions of Himachal Pradesh Private School (Fee and related matters) regulations Act.
He also demanded that an independent body on the line of Himachal Pradesh State Education Institutions Regulatory Commission should be constituted to address the complaints and grievances of students belonging or parents  getting education in private schools.
Mr Mahra said that legislation should mainly address the issue of fee, admission, syllabus and other issues in a time bound manner.
He also demanded that power to hear the issues of private education institutions should be transferred from the committee presided by the deputy commissioner to the departmental officers who could have greater experience to understand and qualifications to sort out the grievances of students and parents.
The role of PTA  in the fixation of fee structure should be strengthened to have greater say of parents on the issue to end the monopoly of school management to fix and enhance the fee structure on their whim and fancies however  90 percent of them did not constituted or working without PTA.
He said that despite issuing a notification in 2019 to convene the general house of PTA in the chairmanship of school principal and headmaster many institutions did not abide by the notification. Moreover, the Union Human Resources Development Ministry also issued a similar notification in 2014. Notification provides greater say of parents in the PTA as 75 per cent members should be selected from the parents.
He said that private schools earn the commission of lakh of rupees after publishing books. In the Kullu district as a school was allegedly found involved in this practice.. Text books were being sold to parents or students with exorbitant prices which cost about ten thousands to the parents . .The regulation of pvt education would help the state to introduce NCERT and HP School Education board books by ending the illicit trades of publishing the books at very high prices .
Mr Mahra also said that the regulation would also address the hidden link between the bookseller , school uniforms and private traders to provide books, school uniforms and other services to the private school at very high prices.
During the Corona Pandemic the Student Parent Munch remained active to help the parents and students to end the frequent demand of increasing school fee and charging and increasing heavy fee from the students despite the government announced to charge only tuition fee.
The parents affected after charging a heavy fee also knocked on the door of  court to regulate the private institutions and forcing the Government to intervene.