Private school operators have claimed that the hike in tuition fee is legal and they did not breach any regulation while making the decision.

Speaking at an interaction organised by the CPN-Maoist affiliated All Nepal National Independent Student-Revolutionary (ANNISU-R) in the capital on Saturday they said the tuition fee was raised on the basis of Rules 145, 146 and 147 of the Education Regulation 2002 that allows private schools to increase the tuition, if the school’s operation cost increases with the hike in teacher’s salary and other expenses.

The private school operators also said that there will not be another tuition hike for next three years, if the teacher’s pay and perks remain the same. “The Education Regulation makes it mandatory for us to increase teacher’s salary on a par with the government,” said Geeta Rana, president of National Private and Boarding School Association (NPABSAN).

Private schools increased the tuition fee in proportion to the rate of hike in teacher’s salary. The government had increased teacher’s salary by 18 percent last year which, according to private school operators, compelled them to adjust the tuition fee, accordingly. Protesting the tuition increment, ANNISU-R students had padlocked the accounts section of 150 private schools in Kathmandu Valley on Friday.

Ritu Raj Sapkota, general secretary of NPABSAN, said the act of ANNISU-R is irresponsible because they have not violated any regulations.

ANNISU-R, however, insists that the private schools have violated the legal provision as well as Supreme Court’s verdict of last year, directing the private schools not to increase their tuition and admission fee for another three years. On Thursday, the Commission for the Investigation of the Abuse of Authority had also directed the concerned government authorities to check the exorbitant fee being charged by private schools.

Ratna Dhakal, general secretary of ANNISU-R, said they will continue the protest in the coming days. “Private school should abide by the legal provisions or face action.”  ANNISU-R  has warned of shutting down the schools, if they did not follow the provisions of Private and Institutional School Operation Directives 2013.

source: the kathmandu post,10 may 2014