Latest news with #FRC
Hans India
3 days ago
- Hans India
Vadodara school penalised over fee irregularities
Vadodara: The Fee Regulation Committee (FRC) of Vadodara Zone has imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Vibgyor School, located in the Bhayli area of the city, for multiple violations of fee-related norms. FRC member stated that the school failed to adhere to several FRC regulations despite repeated complaints from parents about excessive fees. According to the official, the school was penalised Rs 1 lakh for not displaying the FRC fee order on its notice board, Rs 1 lakh for demanding fees for two quarters instead of one as per guidelines, Rs 3 lakh for failing to submit necessary documents to the investigation committee appointed by the District Education Officer (DEO), and Rs 5 lakh for running an unapproved pre-primary school on the same campus. Despite being given three opportunities to present their case, the school management failed to submit a satisfactory response. "This is the highest penalty ever imposed by the FRC in Vadodara's history," said the official, adding that strict action will be taken against any school found violating fee norms. He urged parents to remain vigilant and report any unjustified fees to the FRC, emphasising that both the committee and the government are committed to protecting parental interests. This is not the first instance of regulatory action against Vibgyor School. In March, the DEO fined the school Rs 3 lakh, and earlier in 2024, the FRC had levied a separate Rs 2 lakh fine for overcharging parents. The school management has challenged the latest penalty in court and objected to the interim fee structure determined by the FRC. For the academic year 2024-25, Vibgyor had proposed fees ranging from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2.1 lakh for classes 1 to 12. However, the FRC fixed an interim fee between Rs 85,000 and Rs 1.78 lakh. Despite being called to three hearings regarding fee determination, the school failed to provide necessary documentation. The FRC now plans to finalise the school's fee structure even if school representatives remain absent from future proceedings. In recent years, several educational institutions across Gujarat have come under the scanner for violating the Gujarat Self-Financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act, 2017. The FRC and District Education Officers DEOs have taken stringent actions against schools found overcharging parents, failing to submit required documentation, or not adhering to prescribed procedures. In Ahmedabad, approximately 75 pre-schools operating in both urban and rural areas are under investigation for charging unapproved fees without submitting the necessary proposals to the FRC. These pre-schools, often functioning under the same campuses or trusts as primary schools, bypassed the mandatory approval process, leading the FRC to direct DEOs and District Primary Education Officers (DPEOs) to inspect these institutions and collect detailed fee-related data. FD School in Juhapura, Ahmedabad, received a notice from the DEO for increasing fees without prior approval from the FRC. The school had displayed the hike fee structure on its notice board despite the FRC not sanctioning the proposed increase. Consequently, the DEO imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 for non-compliance. Nirma Vidyavihar School in Bodakdev, Ahmedabad, faced similar action when it increased annual fees by 40 per cent without the FRC's consent. The school raised fees from Rs 89,000 to Rs 1.24 lakh for the academic year 2023-24, exceeding the permissible 5 per cent hike. The DEO issued a show-cause notice, demanding an explanation within two days.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
OnlyFans owner in talks to sell UK-based adult content platform for £5.9bn
The owner of OnlyFans, the subscription platform used by millions for its adult content, is in talks to sell the UK-based business for $8bn (£5.9bn). The site's owner, Fenix International, is in discussions with a consortium led by the US investment firm Forest Road Company (FRC), whose board members include Kevin Mayer, who was an executive at Disney for nearly 15 years and also briefly ran TikTok. Fenix is owned by Leonid Radvinsky, a 43-year-old Ukrainian-American entrepreneur, who has received dividends of just under $1.3bn from the highly profitable site since 2020. Related: OnlyFans owner paid £359m dividend as company's revenues grow 20% in a year OnlyFans has more than 4m accounts registered to creators who charge subscribers for access to their content, with the proceeds split 80/20 with the platform. The site has 305m fan accounts, enabling users to buy videos from, and send messages to, their favourite performers. Although OnlyFans points to a breadth of content that includes comedy, lifestyle and celebrity material, it is synonymous with pornography and has a strict 18+ age limit. In its most recent accounts, OnlyFans posted revenues of $1.3bn in the year to 30 November 2023, an increase of 20% on the previous year, while its pre-tax profit rose by a quarter to $658m. The number of creator accounts and fan accounts each grew by nearly 30% and content creators received $6.6bn in 2023. At the time, Keily Blair, the chief executive of OnlyFans, said the company had cemented its place as a 'leading digital entertainment company and a UK tech success story'. OnlyFans declined to comment and FRC has been contacted for comment. Fenix is also in talks with other suitors, according to Reuters, which first revealed the takeover talks. It is also understood that a flotation of the platform is an unlikely option. OnlyFans was founded in 2016 by Tim Stokely, backed by a loan from his investment banker father, and Radvinsky bought the company in 2018. Little is known about Odesa-born Radvinsky, although his personal website states that he holds a degree in economics from Northwestern University in the US and he lives in Florida. Before acquiring OnlyFans he owned an adult webcam business. In March the UK communications regulator fined Fenix £1m for failing to accurately respond to requests for information about age-checking measures on the platform, specifically facial estimation technology that gauges a user's age via a selfie. Ofcom said Fenix was a large, well-resourced company that was 'well aware of its regulatory obligations' and should have avoided its failings. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Kiwiblog
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Kiwiblog
No there isn't a famine in Gaza
The Free Press reports: The IPC never declared a famine in Gaza. The report she cited was a projection of possible outcomes, not a conclusive finding. The next month, USAID issued its own analysis alleging that famine was underway, an indictment so serious that it required confirmation from an independent board of global experts known as the Famine Review Committee (FRC). The FRC, which functions as the IPC's final authority and quality control check, rebuked the USAID analysis, calling its conclusions insupportable. The failures were stunning. Private sector food deliveries, such as trucks contracted to commercial warehouses, were left out of the agency's estimates of the total food supply in north Gaza. As a result, as much as 82 percent of the 'daily kilocalorie requirement' in northern Gaza last April wasn't counted. In the same month, USAID's famine monitor also left out 940 metric tons (2 million pounds) of flour, sugar, salt, and yeast donated by the UN to bakeries in north Gaza, enough to make about 1,400 metric tons (3 million pounds) of bread. The IPC is the authoritative body when it comes to defining how severe food insecurity is in a region, and whether it constitutes a famine. They have never declared there is a famine in Gaza. They have in Sudan, incidentally. It was never in doubt that the Israel-Hamas war brought immense human suffering to Gaza, including from food shortages. But USAID depicted a world that had little in common with reality. There is suffering and a shortage of food. But that is not the same as a famine. Famine —like genocide , fascist , and dictator —is a word susceptible to rhetorical abuse that can dilute and even invert its meaning. 'My goal was to take famine from being a rhetorical word and make it a technical term,' Haan told me. When the IPC uses the word famine now, 'we mean famine.' If everything is a genocide, a famine or a fascism, then over time nothing is. It is important to not allow hyperbole rob terms of their meaning.
Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Fee approval from FRC due to over 75 private pre-primary schools in Ahmedabad
More than 75 pre-primary privately run schools in Ahmedabad have been identified to have been running without getting their fees approved by the Fee Regulatory Committee (FRC). As per the rules, the pre-primary schools, despite being run on the same campus as primary or high schools, need to get their fees approved by the FRC under the Gujarat Self-Financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act, 2017. 'FRC had issued directions, asking us to inspect such pre-primary schools running along with primary or high schools without getting their fees approved by the FRC. We submitted a report this week,' Ahmedabad District Education Officer, Rural, Krupa Jha, told The Indian Express. A list of over 75 such schools — nearly 50 under Ahmedabad rural and over 25 under Ahmedabad city jurisdiction of the DEO — were identified. Upon inspection, it was revealed that the pre-primary, primary and high schools were being run by the same management trust. Sources revealed that some of these pre-primary private schools were run by prominent schools, which were charging high fees. When brought to the notice, the FRC of Ahmedabad zone ordered an inspection. An action against such schools is expected soon. As per the Gujarat Self-Financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act, no self-financed school can collect any fee in excess of the amount fixed by the FRC. Private schools can be slapped a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh for the first contravention.
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
75 pre-schools in rural and urban areas of Ahmedabad under scrutiny for charging unapproved fees
Ahmedabad: In Ahmedabad city and rural areas, around 75 pre-schools are likely to face action in the coming days for collecting excessive fees without approval from the fee regulatory committee (FRC). A recent investigation revealed that these pre-schools did not obtain the required approval from the FRC before determining and charging fees. According to rules under the Gujarat Self-Financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act, 2017, all private schools, including those running pre-schools affiliated with primary schools, must seek FRC approval for fee structures. However, several institutions continued to charge high fees without submitting necessary proposals or affidavits to the FRC. Some of these schools have already received official notices and were called for in-person hearings. The law mandates that private schools submit an affidavit along with a proposal to the FRC, after which the committee finalises fees for three years. Until recently, there was no registration process for pre-schools, but this is now being implemented. Despite this, many pre-schools functioning under primary school campuses have bypassed the fee approval process. After receiving complaints about certain pre-schools in Ahmedabad, the FRC directed all district education officers (DEOs) and district primary education officers (DPEOs) to inspect pre-primary units functioning under the same trust or campus as primary schools. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo They have been instructed to submit details of any pre-schools charging fees without approval. The FRC identified 75 such pre-schools across Ahmedabad urban and rural areas. These schools are now under review, and strict actions, including penalties or further legal steps, may be taken against them for violating fee regulations.
