Nine schools in Gujarat penalised over fees irregularities

Indian Express

27-04-2025

Fine ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 were imposed on nine private schools in Gujarat this week by the Fee Regulatory Committee (FRC) for violation of norms that included collection of high fees from students.
Of the nine schools, while seven are in Ahmedabad, the remaining is in Gandhinagar and Kutch, respectively. In Ahmedabad, Satya Academy English School and Shree Shiv Shishu Vihar, both in Ramol, have been fined Rs 25,000 each. A fine of Rs 10,000 each has been slapped on Ahmedabad's Tejas Vidya Vihar (Bopal), Little Bird School (Bopal), while a penalty of Rs 5,000 each on Sagar Prathmik Shala (Naroda) and Vikas Primary School (Vatva) has been imposed. J P Primary School in Ahmedabad's Dariyapur has been asked to pay a fine of Rs 8,000.
Surya Varsani Academy Sedata in Kutch and Swarnim international School, Uvarsad Road, in Adalaj in Gandhinagar were fined Rs 15,000 each.
'The number of schools being penalised by the FRC is higher this year. Among the nine schools while some have not submitted their affidavits, irregularities were detected in others after parents submitted complaints to the FRC. Some might not have even submitted affidavits for over five years,' R M Chaudhary, District Education Officer (DEO), Ahmedabad city, who is also the co-ordinator of the FRC, told The Indian Express.
As reported by The Indian Express this month, six schools in Gujarat were slapped fines between Rs 50,000 and Rs 2.5 lakh in last two years for charging fees higher than the amount fixed by the FRC, under the Gujarat Self financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act 2017.
While Shri P V Modi High School in Jamnagar faced a penalty of Rs 2.5 lakh, Vibgyor High International School in Vadodara was fined Rs 2 lakh, followed by Shri Vivekanand School Amreli, and Hanumant School Bhavnagar which were asked to pay Rs 50,000 each.
The state government has formed the FRC under the Gujarat Self Financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act 2017 to regulate fees in private schools. Under the Act, fees is charged as per the FRC guidelines in private schools. Private schools present the fee amount before the FRC, where after scrutiny, it is approved or disapproved with modifications.
However, as per the data maintained by the state government, complaints against 19 self-financed schools for charging higher fees were received by the FRC during 2023-24. 'All these 19 complaints were resolved by the zonal FRCs. From February 2024 till January 31, 2025, another 16 complaints against private schools for charging higher fees were received. Among these, 13 were resolved and a few schools were fined. Three out of the 19 complaints are under investigation,' a senior education official had told this newspaper.
During the budget session of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly this year, several questions were raised by Opposition Congress MLAs on rampant irregularities by private schools, especially higher fees charged from parents.
The state government formed an FRC in four zones — 8 districts in Ahmedabad, 7 districts in Vadodara, 11 districts in Rajkot and 7 districts in Surat zone. A retired district judge nominated by the state government is appointed as the chairman of this zone-level committee. In addition, the committee includes a CA, a civil engineer or valuer, a representative from the self-financed school management nominated by the government, an educationist and district education officer.