Coimbatore School Education Department issues notice to private schools:
Collecting tuition fees from students enrolled under the Right to Education Act in private schools is against the regulations and the collected amount must be returned to the parents of such students, Coimbatore School Education Department said in a notice to private schools on Monday. The schools also must not subject the students to isolation or harassment for non-payment of any fee, the notice added.
District Education Officer (DEO) (in-charge) for private schools C. Bellraj said parents must also be aware that some schools collect fees for extra-curricular activities, additional lab facilities or excursions, which cannot be excluded under the Act. The notice stated that during the academic year, several complaints were received against many private schools that the children admitted under the Right to Education Act were charged a tuition fee, which is against the Act, but no receipt was handed over to the parents for the same.
“It is regrettable to receive complaints on behalf of students admitted under the Right to Education Act, 2009, regarding this practice by schools. It is advised that the schools must hand over the tuition fees collected from students of Class LKG to VIII enrolled under the Act to their respective parents and send a report regarding these details to the [School Education Department] authorities. Private schools are advised not to isolate or harass the [RTE] students,” the notice read.
It was also informed that the students whose parents were unable to pay the fee were not allowed to attend examinations, said Mr.Bellraj. Children should not be detained from attending exams citing non-payment of fees in any school and must be allowed by private schools, he said.
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