Education Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya ‘Bent’ On Fixing Fee Structure

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Come what may, the State Education Department is determined to fix the fee structure of non-government educational institutions from the next academic session.

With the formation of the fee regulatory committee for non-government educational institutions, the groundwork for fixing the fee structure of such educational institutions is ready. The committee, according to sources, is set to submit its report to the department by December.

In April 2018, the government passed the Assam Non-government Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fees) Bill. The fee regulatory committee has been formed in accordance with the provisions in the Act. One-and-a-half year has already been elapsed after the formation of the committee that, however, has not submitted its report to the department as yet.

According to Education Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya, the department is firm to fix the fee structure of non-government educational institutions from the coming academic session. The department, according to the minister, has to wait for the beginning of the new academic session as it cannot impose a new fee structure in the middle of the academic calendar.

This demand from individual guardians and various guardians’ associations has been long overdue. Their allegation is that such institutions make them pay through their noses by hiking fees every year, besides charging annual fees. “We know that we’ve to pay more to make our wards getting education in private schools. However, that doesn’t mean that the school authorities can hike fees at their own whims and fancies,” the guardian of a student of a private school said.

As and when the issue of fixing the fee structure of non-government educational institutions came up in the past, technical and other hurdles of diverse hues crept in. Overcoming all those hurdles has not been a reality even today simply because a section of such institutions has the backing of influential people like politicians and top-level bureaucrats.

The regulation of non-governmental education institutions practically started way back in 2006 when the Assam Non-government Educational Institutions (Regulation and Management) Act was enacted. The Act only deals with issues like unplanned and mushroom growth of non-government educational institutions, not with fee structure.

A number of previous education ministers at Dispur did make attempts to fix fee structures of non-government educational institutions in the State but failed to muster courage to go ahead with the task. The powerful lobby behind such institutions got the better of the situation and foiled every single attempt made by the previous education ministers on this front. Does Siddhartha Bhattacharya have enough guts to overcome the powerful lobby to get the job done?

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