New CBSE rules give more teeth to parents bodies

​Hyderabad: The new affiliation bylaws of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) are all set to push the state governments in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh into a corner from the ensuing academic year in respect of school fee issue.

Lately, parents’ associations in both the Telugu states have been demanding respective state governments to put in place a regulatory mechanism to contain the fee in the private schools.

Lending credence to such demands the new changes brought in by the CBSE, lay down that no society, trust, company or school shall charge capitation fee or accept donations for the purpose of admission from pupils.

Admission fee and the fee charged under any other head are to be charged only as per the regulations of the appropriate government. The fee shall be charged under the heads prescribed by the Department of Education of the States and Union territories.

The new regulations further lay down that fee revision by the schools shall be subject to laws, regulations and directions of the appropriate government. "The Acts and regulations of the Central and the governments of the States and Union Territories enacted or framed in connection with regulation of fee in respect of the various categories of the schools situated in the State will be applicable to the school affiliated with CBSE also," the new bylaws said.

Speaking to The Hans India, a senior official from the State Education Department (SED) said that this gives the power to the State government to frame regulations on the school fee which is applicable to the CBSE schools in Telangana.

On top of it, the new regulations also mandate that schools shall not revise fee without the express approval of the School Management Committee (SMC) or in a process prescribed by the Appropriate Government under any circumstances.

Fee revision of the school is subject to laws, regulation and directions of the government concerned. Official sources in AP Education Department pointed out the new regulations will be a weapon for parents' associations to mount pressure on the State government to act, as it no longer can cite the schools are not under the jurisdiction of the state education department, he said.

Further, the new rules also make it mandatory that in case not otherwise provided by the Appropriate Government, in the event of a student discontinuing studies or wishing to migrate to some other school, dues shall be collected only up to the month of discontinuance or migration and not up to the month in which the transfer certificate is applied for. This provision also applies to all heads of the fee being collected by the schools as per the new regulations.