Jaipur: Sanyukt Abhibhavak Sangh Monday alleged that private schools have been failing to inform parents about the formation of parent-teacher associations (PTAs) and school-level fee committees (SLFCs), restricting parental participation and raising concerns over arbitrary fee fixation.Under Rajasthan Schools (Regulation of Fee) Act, 2016, SLFC determines the fees charged by private schools. The committee comprises a chairperson, a secretary, three teachers and five parent representatives, who are selected through an online lottery to prevent school managements from influencing the process.Association spokesperson Abhishek Jain Bittu alleged that schools were not adequately informing parents about PTA membership, SLFC selection process or application deadlines. He said inadequate information has led to limited participation and allowed school managements to influence the choice of parent representatives.“If parents are unaware of SLFC and how it functions, the very purpose of the Act is defeated,” Bittu said.The association has demanded physical verification of SLFCs to ensure they have been constituted as mandated by law and that schools follow the prescribed procedure for determining fees.Chandra Kiran Panwar, deputy director, Right to Education (RTE), said parents could approach district education officer (DEO) if a school uploaded fee details on the Private School Portal (PSP) without SLFC approval. The DEO could examine the committee’s records and initiate action if arbitrary fee hikes were established.Meanwhile, an Oct 23 order issued by Directorate of Secondary Education, Bikaner, specified timelines for committee formation. Schools beginning their academic session on April 1 must constitute PTAs between April 1 and 10, while those starting on July 1 must do so between July 1 and 10.For the 2027-28 academic session, schools must complete SLFC formation by Dec 15 and upload approved fee details by Dec 25.
