– Reshma Ravishanker

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has asked the Ministry of Education to submit a report on a list of private schools and colleges across the country over allegations of charging exorbitant fees and operating in a commercially driven manner, following a representation submitted by a citizen.

The Committee on Petitions examines petitions and representations submitted by citizens, associations, or individuals regarding public issues or grievances, and reports its findings and recommendations to Parliament.

In his letter to the chairman of the Committee on Petitions (Lok Sabha), Rishi sought a cleanup of the education system to curb commercialisation and promote a not-for-profit approach among private schools and colleges.

“It is a widely acclaimed fact that with the advent of private education in the country for the last 2-3 decades, be it, Private Schools, Engineering Colleges, Management Colleges and Medical Colleges, some of them have become a lucrative business through high-fee structures, aggressive infrastructure expansion, and creative accounting to bypass non-profit regulations issued by the Government from time to time. It is the apathy of the country that driven by high demand and limited public capacity, owners of these private education hub have been using or masquerading as Trusts/Societies to siphon off profits by way of various dubious means like service contracts, inflated fees and real estate. All these nefarious activities have transformed our private education sphere into a purely commercialized “Industry”, with the sole objective of exploiting the demand and supply gap as well as the hapless parents,” he wrote in the letter seeking intervention to fix the issue.

Among the concerns raised, he alleged that several private educational institutions were charging exorbitant fees, were being run by businessmen with no background in education, generated profits through “hidden” costs such as mandatory and monopolised school supply sales, and exploited legal loopholes.

“Private schools are primarily handled at the state level. It is also a verifiable fact that thousands of private schools in states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Delhi have faced inquiries by state-appointed Fee Regulatory Committees during the last five years following parent complaints. In addition to this, hundreds of “budget” private schools, including the schools are per the list enclosed have been served with notices annually for failing to meet the land or infrastructure norms mandated by the Right to Education (RTE) Act. In view of foregoing details, I request your goodself to refer the matter to Committee on Petitions of Lok Sabha to initiate an inquiry to cleanse the education system in our country,” he wrote in the letter.

Following this, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has sought explanations from various agencies, including the National Medical Commission (NMC), University Grants Commission (UGC), AICTE, CBSE, and others, asking them to submit details on the matter, including action taken against the educational institutions concerned, before May 25.

Responding to these allegations, Damodar Goyal, President, National Federation of Unaided Schools said, “This letter is not sent to schools. It is a petition filed by a citizen regarding issues of alleged malpractices. There is existent law governing educational institutions and their functioning. Most states governments also regulate school fee via regulation committees. This is a petition that has been filed only to gain the attention of the house without any substance There is no documentary evidence or research backing to these sweeping statements. It is just name-picking a few elite schools and institutions. I urge the committee to ignore this petition as there are enough laws that govern the functioning of educational institutions in the country.”

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