Gujarat acts tough on schools charging high fees: Here's what the bill says

The Centre, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra government showed their interest in the bill

In an interesting move, the Gujarat Assembly recently passed a bill to control the "exorbitant fees" charged by private schools. Gujarat governor O P Kohli on Tuesday gave his consent. Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said that the Centre, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra government showed their interest and asked for a copy of the bill. 

'The Gujarat Self-Financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2017' was passed by the Assembly on March 30. Here are the details of the bill:

• It empowers the government to constitute four Fee Regulatory Committees for four zones of the state "for the purpose of determination of fee for admission to any standard or course of study in self-financed schools". 

• The fee structure proposed in the bill for primary, secondary and higher-secondary schools is Rs 15,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 27,000 per year, respectively. 

• In case, the schools wants to charge more than the specified fee, it will have to approach the Fee Regulatory Committee. 

• The Fee Regulatory Committee will have jurisdiction over all private schools, whether affiliated to Gujarat Board, CBSE or international boards. 

• The committee can, on its own, initiate inquiry against any school found to be charging an excess fee. 

• The bill allows the committee to take penal action such as ordering refund of twice the amount of excess fee, imposing up to Rs 5 lakh fine for the first offence, Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakh for the second offence and cancellation of registration of the school for the third offence. 

• If the schools are not happy with the order of Fee Regulatory Committees, they can approach Fee Revision Committee. The committee will be chaired by a retired judge of the High Court. The orders passed by the Fee Revision Committee shall be final.