The Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) has tightened its noose against a CBSE affiliated top notch school in Srinagar over charging capitation fee from the parents at the time of admission.
The department has suspended NoC granted to the school for its affiliation with the CBSE.
The move comes after a parent registered a complaint with the Grievance Cell of the J&K Lieutenant Governor (LG) against the school management over “fleecing” parents by charging donation from the parents in violation of government guidelines.
“The Chief Education Officer Srinagar vide series of communications to the school management sought redressal of grievance of the complainant under intimation to the directorate but the management of the school did not respond to the communications made for redressal of the grievance of the complainant for receiving admission fees,” the DSEK order reads.
The DSEK said the necessary instructions in this behalf are already circulated by the administrative department that there should be no admission or capitation fees for new admission in any private educational institution in J&K.
“It is quite clear that the management of the school is violating the government instructions, accordingly the school management is put on strict instructions to desist from charging admission or capitation fee in future,” the order reads.
The DSEK has directed the school management to refund the capitation fee if collected from any parent.
“The NoC issued for affiliation with CBSE in favour of the school is suspended with immediate effect for charging transport and annual fee for the session viz 2019-20 (Lock down period) and charging admission fee for the session 2020-21 in contravention of the rules and regulations,” the order said.
As already reported, the J&K government has imposed a ban on the private schools to charge any capitation or donation from the parents at the time of the admission of their kids in their respective schools.
This newspaper has carried a series of stories over the issue wherein the parents were forced by the management of various private schools to charge donations from the parents at the time of admission of their kids.
The schools have been barred from charging donation or capitation fee after the right of children to free and compulsory education Act 2009 was made applicable in J&K UT.
The section 13 of Act imposes an embargo on charging of admission fee.
Notably, section 13 of the Act states no school or person shall, while admitting a child, collect a capitation fee and subject the child or his/her parents or guardian to any screening procedure.