Kathmandu: Members of Private and Boarding Schools' Organisation Nepal (PABSON) and National Private and Boarding Schools' Organisation Nepal (N-PABSON) have agreed to revise tuition fees if found to have violated Schools Fee Criteria Directives.
Officials of PABSON, N-PABSON, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Department of Education, Nepal National Guardians Association and leaders of student wings of eight fringe parties signed an agreement to this effect late night yesterday.
Earlier, private schools had decided to defy a three-day educational strike on July 4, 5 and 6 called by student wings of fringe parties. The strike has been called off following the agreement.
The agreement states that private schools will revise fee structure if found to have hiked fees violating the criteria set by the government. As per the criteria, private schools can decide to hike fees only with the consent of guardians. Any decision to hike fees must be approved by parents of two-thirds students studying in the school.
Schools are required to provide scholarship to 10 per cent of students, but many schools have not been following this rule. The agreement also states that monitoring will be carried out to ensure implementation of this provision.
Many guardians and educationists, however, say the directives on school fee is flawed.
Educationist Bidhya Nath Koirala said the directive would eventually create larger disparity between students from rich and poor families. “The very educational institutions that should have been teaching students to end social injustices are creating social classes based on people's financial status.”
Meanwhile, Director General at the Department of Education Babu Ram Poudyal said they would take stern action against private schools that did not comply with government rules.
