Fee Fixation: Records from 63 private schools sought by government

The Tamil Nadu Schools (Regulation of Collection of Fees) Act, has been enacted to regulate the collection of fees and to curtail excess fees collection and donation by the private self-financing schools. The process of fixing fee for nearly 10,200 schools for three years from the year 2017-18 is under progress. 

A senior official from education department said in Chennai, that as many as 63 private schools were asked to apply for fixation of fee for this academic year. Likewise, circular was issued to a total of 22 schools in neighbouring Kancheepuram district. Similarly, in Thiruvallur districts a total of 40 private schools were asked for the details.

The official said so far, the fee committee has determined fee for 6,500 schools. The remaining schools has been called upon to submit records for determination of reasonable fees for the academic years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21. 

Further, the fee committee has also been actively involved in disposing off petitions with regard to collection of excess fees. The Committee also set up a committee comprising of education officers in disposing off petitions with regard to collection of excess fees. 

The official said based on the petitions, the members have prepared a list of schools that has collected excess fees. “Circular will be issued to those schools with immediate effect,” he added. Last year orders have been issued to refund a sum of Rs.63,86,290/- to students, which was collected in excess of the fee fixed by the committee by a particular school, he added.