The decision by School Education Minister Harjot Bains to closely monitor private schools in the state for arbitrary practices concerning textbooks, uniforms and school fees has brought significant relief to parents.
The state government has issued strict directives stating that schools cannot change uniforms and textbooks every year, thus adding to the financial burden of parents. The guidelines also specify that rather than restricting parents to a limited list of book and uniform vendors, schools must provide a wide range of options from which parents can purchase items at competitive rates. Parents should also have the option to have the uniforms stitched from anywhere within a reasonable price range and the schools can provide the required logo to be put on shirts or blazers.
In addition, schools have been instructed to limit fee hikes to just 8 per cent annually. The schools must also inform the government about any fee hike and cite reasons for it. The minister said that he won’t let education be treated as a business. Bains has also empowered the Deputy Commissioners to handle any complaints of violations submitted by the parents.
This move has sparked a strong reaction from various quarters. The parents have expressed concern that the textbooks recommended by schools are extremely expensive. “While a set of five NCERT books for Class VIII costs less than Rs 400, the books of private publishers recommended by the school for the same syllabus cost around Rs 5,000. This issue remains unresolved and must be addressed,” said Pankaj Mehta, a parent. He added, “None of the schools have a book bank system where students going to a higher class can donate their old books, which could then be given to others either for free or at a nominal cost. If this system gets prevalent, the financial burden on parents would be significantly reduced.”
The parents also highlighted that the option to have uniforms stitched was not available, as the designs had been made elaborate and specific. They added that the schools did not offer the option to purchase logos separately. “My child has to wear a T-shirt for two days a week with a very specific contrast pattern, pastings and embroidery. There is no way we can get it stitched elsewhere. If the government is getting stricter, the school authorities are trying other means,” said a parent whose ward studies in an ICSE-affiliated school.
Rajiv Paliwal, Principal of Innocent Hearts School, said, “We are fully comply with the recommendations of the Justice Amar Dutt Fee Regulatory Committee, as sent to us by the government. We increase the fee by only 8 per cent annually and duly inform the government through the District Education Office. We also provide parents with a list of 20-25 vendors from which they can purchase school books through our portal.”
Dr Narotam Singh, president of State Public School and vice president of the CBSE Affiliated Schools Association (CASO), said, “Jalandhar has the largest book market in the region, so parents of local school students can easily buy books at competitive rates. We have to increase the fee annually since the expenditure and teacher wages too increase every year. Our 98 per cent of parents are satisfied, and even if 1-2 per cent are not, the government should not intervene unless the issue is too serious. If the government imposes restrictions on us, it must also treat private schools with the same affection and attention as it does government schools. The achievements of our students should also be highlighted by the Deputy Commissioner and the state government, just as it does for government schools.”
