Vadodara, Oct 24
The Vadodara Zone Fee Regulation Committee (FRC) has approved a 5 per cent increase in the provisional fees for 76 schools with an aim to ignite hopes among those administrators still awaiting fee approvals.
Notably, Vadodara has received the highest approvals, with 25 schools granting permission for the fee hike. Establishing the Fee Regulation Committee (FRC) aims to prevent arbitrary fee increases by regional schools. Operating from the DEO office in Vadodara, the committee oversees fee-related decisions for private schools in seven districts: Vadodara, Anand, Kheda, Dahod, Mahisagar, Panchmahal, and Chhota Udepur. However, the Vadodara Parents' Association allegations previously claimed that the FRC has been lax in enforcing fee regulations. In its recent decision, the FRC approved a 5 percent increase for 76 schools, which has sparked optimism among school operators still in line for similar fee hikes. The approvals are broken down as follows: 25 schools in Vadodara, 0 in Anand, 12 in Kheda, 6 in Dahod, 7 in Mahisagar, 24 in Panchmahal, and 2 in Chhota Udepur, highlighting Vadodara's position as having the most private schools awaiting fee hike approvals. Looking ahead, sources indicate that once the provisional fees are determined, school administrators can file appeals before the final fee structure is confirmed. It is common for schools to request increases greater than 5 percent, leaving it to be seen which institutions will proceed with appeals in the coming days. Gujarat has over 32,000 government primary schools, alongside the establishment of 84 model schools aimed at enhancing educational quality in the state. As of December 2023, only one teacher was staffed in 1,606 of these government primary schools. In response to the ongoing teacher shortage, the Gujarat government has implemented various measures, including appointing contractual teachers and organizing teacher transfer camps to allocate teaching resources better. Initiated in 2014, the model schools in Gujarat aim to provide high-quality education within the government school system. Currently, 84 model schools across the state cater to upper primary, secondary, and higher secondary classes.