Guwahati, As of now, private educational institutions in Assam cannot raise their fees without prior approval from the state government’s regulatory body, officials said Tuesday.
The Assam Non-Government Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fees) (Amendment) Bill, 2022, passed in the Assembly on Monday, has recommended criminal action against private educational institutions in the state that fail to comply with the provisions of the Fee Regulation Act.
According to the bill, “The Fee Scheme Commission, subject to the provisions of Article 10 of the Act, recommends the maximum limits of fees to be charged by the different categories of non-governmental educational institutions in each year before the start of the academic session. are being brought” .
Private educational institutions will need to submit applications to the government-established fee exemption committee and determine their fee structure by October 31.
The amending law also said that if the non-governmental educational institutions fail to apply to the committee, they will be fined Rs 10,000 for failing to submit the applications before the deadline.
After the deadline, a late fee of Rs 5,000 per month will also be charged.
“In the event of non-submission of the proposal by the non-governmental educational institutions before the start of the new academic session to determine their fee structure, the fee regulation committee suo moto will determine the fee structure of that particular institution, which shall be binding on such a school,” the amendment added.
The state government is believed to have taken this step following a series of complaints filed against some of the state’s private educational institutions about increasing their fees without notice.
A few students and guardians have also filed complaints that a few non-governmental educational institutions have abruptly increased their fees to cover the loss caused by the Covid pandemic outbreak. They previously urged the government to take strict measures to stop this kind of practice by the private institutions.
The Assam Non-Government Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fees) (Amendment) Bill, 2022, passed in the Assembly on Monday, has recommended criminal action against private educational institutions in the state that fail to comply with the provisions of the Fee Regulation Act.
According to the bill, “The Fee Scheme Commission, subject to the provisions of Article 10 of the Act, recommends the maximum limits of fees to be charged by the different categories of non-governmental educational institutions in each year before the start of the academic session. are being brought” .
Private educational institutions will need to submit applications to the government-established fee exemption committee and determine their fee structure by October 31.
The amending law also said that if the non-governmental educational institutions fail to apply to the committee, they will be fined Rs 10,000 for failing to submit the applications before the deadline.
After the deadline, a late fee of Rs 5,000 per month will also be charged.
“In the event of non-submission of the proposal by the non-governmental educational institutions before the start of the new academic session to determine their fee structure, the fee regulation committee suo moto will determine the fee structure of that particular institution, which shall be binding on such a school,” the amendment added.
The state government is believed to have taken this step following a series of complaints filed against some of the state’s private educational institutions about increasing their fees without notice.
A few students and guardians have also filed complaints that a few non-governmental educational institutions have abruptly increased their fees to cover the loss caused by the Covid pandemic outbreak. They previously urged the government to take strict measures to stop this kind of practice by the private institutions.