Srinagar, Dec 12, KNT: The Fee Fixation and Regulation Committee of Jammu and Kashmir has reiterated that it alone is authorised to handle disputes related to fee determination and regulation in private schools.
The assertion follows a complaint submitted by parents of students at Welkin Higher Secondary School, Sopore, who alleged that annual charges previously fixed at Rs 3300 had been raised to Rs 9000 this year.
Officials sources told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that the complaint emailed by the parents to the Education Minister Sakina Itoo. The communication was subsequently examined, and it was conveyed that the matter falls squarely within the jurisdiction of the FFRC.
Authorities pointed out that the Committee had already issued a clear circular, directing that no office or authority other than the FFRC shall entertain complaints involving fee determination, fee fixation or violation of its orders. The circular emphasises that diversion of such grievances to unrelated departments creates confusion and disrupts the regulatory framework.
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By invoking its earlier order, the Committee has again underscored that all fee-related complaints must be routed exclusively to the FFRC for appropriate action. The move is seen as part of an ongoing effort to maintain a unified regulatory process and prevent multiple authorities from dealing with the same subject.
Parents continue to allege that many private schools are burdening them with steep annual charges, while the Fee Fixation Committee, which they describe as a ‘paper tiger’, has struggled to enforce its authority effectively. [KNT]
