BHAKTAPUR: A meeting of the Central Fee Fixation and Monitoring Committee on Monday directed the government to take action against those schools that have been charging exorbitant fees.

The meeting was presided over by the Director General of the Department of Education.

DoE had earlier monitored 16 private schools in the Kathmandu Valley to check fee structure, infrastructure and teachers’ salary among other issues. The report with recommendations was also submitted to the committee on Monday.

    District Education Offices have been told to initiate action against schools that are charging exorbitant fees

Suprabhat Bhandari, president, Guardians Association Nepal and a member of the committee, said that based on the report, the committee has asked the DoE to send circulars to all District Education Offices to take action against the private schools that have been violating the government rules and regulations and ‘fleecing parents in the name of fee under various titles’.

Student unions aligned to various political parties have also decided to stage protest against government for not implementing the past agreements.

A meeting was held in the office of All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union-Revolutionary, which is affiliated to the CPN-Maoist, where student unions decided to stage protests against the government to exert pressure to implement the past agreements.

According to UP Lamichhane, Spokesperson, Nepal Students’ Union, which is affiliated to the ruling Nepali Congress, student unions will submit a memorandum to Minister for Education Chitralekha Yadav on July 14 and gherao DoE office on July 15.

Student unions and the government had reached an agreement to waive 50 per cent of monthly fee for the month when schools had remained closed in the aftermath of the April 25 earthquake and fix school fee a scientific manner among others.

source: the himalayan times, 14 july 2015