MP: Private Schools Under Scrutiny In Mandsaur, Action Taken For Fee Hikes, Unapproved Books

Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh): In a stringent move to regulate private school operations, the Mandsaur district administration, under the directives of collector Dilip Kumar Yadav, initiated actions against several non-government schools for unjustified fee hikes and using unapproved textbooks. This comes in the wake of similar actions in Jabalpur, Indore, Bhopal and Ratlam.

The district education officer, led by in-charge Lokendra Dabi, has been ensuring compliance with the Madhya Pradesh Private School (Regulation of Fees and Related Subjects) Act 2018 and Rules 2020. The inspections revealed significant discrepancies in fee structures and textbook usage across numerous schools.

The crackdown aims to bring transparency and fairness in the functioning of private schools, ensuring that educational institutions adhere to state regulations and provide equitable education to all students.

Key Findings

FEE HIKES WITHOUT PERMISSION: Karni International School Mandsaur and Bharti Pooja Gyan Mandir Balaguda increased fees by over 10 per cent for the 2024-25 session without obtaining necessary permissions. Other schools, including NS Sanghvi School Mandsaur and St Thomas Senior Secondary School Mandsaur, were found to have raised fees excessively in previous years, post-COVID-19.

UNAPPROVED TEXTBOOKS: Krishna Public School Kangatti and Red Rose Public School Kangatti among others were using textbooks from private publishers for classes 6 and 7 instead of the prescribed NCERT/TBC books. Schools like Chitransh Academy Garoth failed to provide a list of books for higher classes, while some schools had discrepancies in ISBN numbers on textbook lists.

FINANCIAL IRREGULARITIES: Sanskar Niketan School Narayangarh and Incredible English School Narayangarh displayed differences between fees mentioned on the DPI portal and those actually charged. Red Rose Public School Kangatti and Boston Idlitera School Napakheda were found collecting fees in cash without maintaining a bank account or entering fee details on the DPI portal. Saraswati Seminary Senior Secondary School Suwasra was found collecting fees online but failed to update the fee register, leading to mismatches in records.

These infractions have prompted the administration to impose fines as per the provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Private Schools (Regulation of Fees and Related Matters) Act, 2017 and 2020. Further investigations are underway, and instructions have been given to ensure accurate record-keeping and compliance with regulations.