Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the CBSE and Kerala State Child Rights Commission have raised serious concerns about the practice of capitation fee in schools, CBSE schools see this move as part of an agenda to malign them. Kerala CBSE School Manage-ments Association general secretary Indira Rajan told DC that the present issue was not one connected to capitation fee. “The parents had a complaint about the extra fee when a student got promoted from one class to another,” she said. “The association would not support capitation fee. However, terming every fee as capitation fee is unfortunate and cannot be acceptable. The circular by the CBSE that schools which collect capitation fee would be asked to pay ten times that amount as a fine was not a new one. In fact, it was only a repetition of an old circular issued in 2009.”
Ms Rajan said the present controversies were part of an agenda to defame the CBSE education sector as some people want to close them down. It was a wrong impression that if the CBSE schools are maligned people who sent students there would opt for the general education sector in the state, she said. However, All Kerala Parent Teacher Association president Sudheer G. Kallara was of the view that CBSE schools in the state collected an exorbitant amount as capitation fee.
The present intervention of the child rights commission was revolutionary, Mr Kallara said. However, the present decision was not enough. There should be a decision to withdraw the affiliation of schools which are repeated offenders, Mr Kallara said. The decision to levy ten times the amount as fine from CBSE schools which collect capitation fee was apprised by the CBSE to the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights on Tuesday. The CBSE has also asked the school to abide by the affiliation bylaw, the NOC issued by the general education department and the orders of the commission and report it to them within seven days, in the order.
This was apprised by the CBSE while the commission considered the complaint submitted by parents of students of a school in Ernakulam district. Meena C. U., a member of the commission who heard the case, said the complaint was specifically regarding one school in Ernakulam. The opinion of the CBSE was sought on the issue. It was in this circumstance, that the CBSE gave the specific directive, Ms Meena said.
Sources said that the CBSE affiliation bylaws were very specific on the issue of capitation fee. It was further reinforced in the 2009 circular on the subject matter in the light of recent observations. The circular had apprised the schools to ensure adherence of affiliation bylaws of the board. The Rule 11.1, 2 and 3: are specific on the issue. The rules are listed below.
1. Rule 11 (I) Fees charges should be commensurate with the facilities provided by the institution. Fees should normally be charged under the heads prescribed by the Department of Education of the State/U.T. for schools of different categories. No capitation fee or voluntary donations for gaining admission in the school or for any other purpose should be charged / collected in the name of the school and the school should not subject the child or his or her parents or guardians to any screening procedure. In the case of such malpractices, the Board may take drastic action leading to disaffiliation of the school.
Further, any school or person violating the above provisions is liable for the following:-
(i) Receives capitation fee, shall be punishable with fine which may extend to ten times the capitation fee charged;
(ii) Subjects a child to screening procedure shall be punishable with fine which may extend to twenty-five thousand rupees for the first contravention and fifty thousand rupees for each subsequent contraventions.
2. In case a student leaves the school for such compulsion as transfer of parents or health reason or in the case of death of the student before completion of the session, pro rata return of quarterly/term/annual fees should be made.
3. The unaided schools should consult parents through parents' representatives before revising the fees. The fee should not be revised during the mid-session.
Further the Rule 19.1 (ii) and ii (a} of affiliation bylaw dealt with the commercialisation.
19.1(ii) It shall ensure that the school is run as a community service and not as a business and that commercialisation does not take place in the school in any shape whatsoever. 19.1(ii}a Any franchisee school making payment on account of use of the name, motto and logo of franchise institution or any other non-academic activities would be termed as commercialization of institution and to provide an affidavit that the school/society has not entered into any such contract to use the name, logo and motto for consideration of the fee.
