Fee Structure for schools announced

05.07.2010 (GMT+5.5)

Chennai: The Justice Govindarajan Commission, constituted by the Tamil Nadu Government to fix the fee structure for private schools, today announced the fee structure, ranging from Rs 3,500 to Rs 11,000, even as School Education Minister Thangam Thennarasu warned of stern action against schools which collected higher fees.

Retired Judge K Govindarajan, heading the Commission, held detailed discussions with the heads of private schools, holding more than 15 sittings and announced the fee structure.

The chairperson of the private schools fee determination committee, Justice K Govindarajan, told a press conference on Friday, "The approximate maximum amount we have fixed for a higher secondary school in the city is Rs 11,000, Rs 9,000 for a high school, Rs 8,000 for a middle school and Rs 5,000 for an elementary school." The committee also proposed that the school could charge an additional 10% on expenditure for future development and no school could collect more than this.

The 10,951 private schools in the State would be informed of the fee strucutre, which would be in force for three years, he said.

If complaints were received that any particular school collected more than the fee fixed by the Commission and the same was proved, its recognition would be cancelled, he said.

However, managements of matriculation schools said the new fee structure would make running a school unviable. The principal and correspondent of Zion Matriculation Higher Secondary School and general secretary of the Federation of Matriculation Schools' Associations in Tamil Nadu, N Vijayan, said, "This is a big setback for schools, a 25-30% cut. This will cause quality of schools to go down. All the matriculation schools have decided to approach the minister on Saturday with the problems we will face in running a school with such a fee structure."

One school head, who wished to remain anonymous, said, "In the current scenario, I cannot afford to open my school. Where will I get the money to pay my teachers, paint classrooms and prepare for the next academic year?"

Meanwhile, Mr Thennarasu, replying to a Call Attention in the State Assembly, warned of stern action against schools which collected higher fees.

The State Government had constituted the Commission following complaints that private schools, in many parts of the State, were collecting higher fees, detrimental to the interest of poor students.
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