Srinagar, Feb 10: The Fee Fixation and Regulation Committee (FFRC) has ordered the private schools not to charge any transport fee for the outsourced or hired vehicles during summer and winter vacation period.
Besides, the Committee has asked the private schools to charge only 50 percent of the transport fee for their own buses.
FFRC chairman Justice (Retd) Sunil Hali in a circular has said that the committee has received some complaints that certain schools are charging transport fees during the vacations in light of the order issued by the FFRC who do not own their transport.
“Those schools who do not have their own transport facilities but have outsourced or hired the same from third parties, operated under a contractual arrangement are also charging 50 percent of the transport fee,” it reads.
FFRC Chairman said that the Committee has already specifically barred such schools from collecting any transport fee during the vacation where the facilities are not owned by the school but have been outsourced or hired from third parties and are operated under a contractual agreement.
“They have been specifically barred from collecting any transport fee from the students” reads the circular.
FFRC said “It is ordered that private schools shall charge 50 percent transport fee only where the transport facilities are owned and operated by the school itself.”
“In cases where the transport facilities are outsourced or hired from third parties and are operated under a contractual agreement, no transport fee shall be charged during the winter or summer vacations,” it reads.
The committee said that any fee collected by the private school in this behalf shall be refunded to the parents forthwith, “Failing which appropriate action under law shall be taken against the school, including imposition of a penalty of one percent of the total revenue and also de-affiliation of the school.”—(KNO)
