This State Govt Slashes Upto 26% Fees Of Private Schools; Makes Transport, Food Free For All!

The Odisha government has decided the reduction of tuition fees in all aided and unaided private schools for the 2020-2021 academic session giving a major relief for students and their guardians.

Reduction In Tuition Fees

Moving ahead, the School and Mass Education department said that the tuition fee reduction will be made in seven different slabs in a notification issued on Tuesday.

According to this notification, no waiver will be given for schools charging Rs 6,000 per annum,  those charging between Rs 6,001 to Rs 12,001 will reduce the tuition fee by 7.5 percent.

Further, a twelve percent reduction for tuition fees will be provided between Rs 12,001 and Rs 24, 000 annually.

While, 15 percent for fees between Rs 24,001, Rs 48,000 and 20 percent for school tuition fees of Rs 48,001 to Rs 72,000, 25 percent for Rs 72,001 to Rs 1 lakh fees and a maximum of 26 percent for fees above Rs 1 lakh per annum, as per the notification.

No Charges For Food And Transport

In addition to that, the schools cannot charge students for food and transport.

On the hostel fees, a 30 percent waiver will be given according to the notification.

As per the High Court’s directive, the state government has come up with these notifications.

Why Would This Happen?

Earlier, the High court asked the government to reduce the fees in all aided and unaided private schools for the 2020-21 academic session due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On this occasion, the School and Mass Education minister, SR Dash said, “We hope that the aided and unaided private schools will abide by the court order,”. 

Prior to this, several parents’ associations had gone to the High Court, when the state government and the schools refused to reduce the fees even as schools remained closed due to the pandemic.

In the same regard, the state government had informed the High Court that it had no power to regulate fees fixed by private schools while responding to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also had announced a waiver of examination fees for students appearing for board examinations in 2021 at the start of this month.

This decision would benefit more than six lakh students, but the government would have to bear Rs 27 crore towards the exemption, according to Patnaik.