Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Wednesday said the state government is planning to constitute a regulatory committee to oversee the fee structures of private schools.
According to Dr Saha, the government does not have direct control over the administrative and financial management of those schools, but reports of excessive hikes in school fees prompted the government to think about the issue. “We shall certainly look into the matter and take positive steps in the interest of students,” said Dr Saha.
The Chief Minister, who also holds the education portfolio, was speaking on the third day of the ongoing budget session. He was replying to a supplementary question of Congress MLA Birajit Sinha, who alleged that several private schools do not have proper infrastructure or teaching staff and charge a hefty amount as school fees. Besides, in many schools, students are compelled to take tuition from the school teachers. “Nowadays studies of children have become a double trouble for the parents. They have to pay the school and teacher separately for their children’s future,” said Sinha.
TIPRA Motha MLA Ranjit Debbarma also participated in the discussion and said, “Not in urban areas alone, in the remote parts of the state, the schools are hiking their admission fees and annual donation amounts exorbitantly. This must stop, else the poor parents could never even think of getting their children admitted to a good school.”
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The Chief Minister replied: “We all are aware as to why these organisations have been coming up with schools. What I can commit now is that a committee will be formed to look for a solution.”
In a related question related to education, Leader of the Opposition Animesh Debbarma demanded a survey on the existing school infrastructure across the state based on which the government can intervene. “Almost all the MLAs have shared about schools suffering from lack of infrastructure. I think the government should survey the existing infrastructure, and wherever required, build classrooms, labs, kitchen and other infrastructure,” said Debbarma.
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