Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Private schools in the city are charging varying transport fees for students commuting the same distances, with monthly charges ranging from Rs 1,600 to Rs 2,500 for identical routes.
For instance, students living within 2 km of their school pay Rs 800 per month at All Saints School, while Gyan Ganga Academy charges Rs 1,813 and Carmel Convent, Ratanpur collects Rs 1,164 for the same distance.
There’s no consistency in the distance slabs used to determine transport fees either. Some schools use specific categories such as 0–2 km, 2–4 km, etc., while others apply a flat rate for distances up to 6 km, regardless of how far within that range the student lives.
For example, Sagar Public School, Katara charges Rs 2,500 per month for a distance of 0–6 km, while its Rohit Nagar and Saket Nagar branches charge Rs 2,750 per month for 3–10 km. Bal Bharati School doesn’t follow a distance-based slab at all, instead charging between Rs 1,600 and Rs 2,700 per month, depending on the bus stop location.
At St. Montfort School, transport fees range between Rs 3,050 and Rs 5,325 per month, depending on the distance. Delhi Public School (DPS) has a uniform annual fee of Rs 42,350, which translates to Rs 3,850 per month, regardless of how far the student lives.
Bal Bharati School charges Rs 1,100 for up to 3 km, and Rs 2,200 for distances of 22–28 km. IES Public School charges between Rs 12,650 and Rs 31,350 per year, depending on the route. Sanskaar Valley School applies a flat monthly fee of Rs 4,200 to all students.
Despite such discrepancies, most schools have not published transport fee details on their official websites, even though the state government has amended the Madhya Pradesh Niji Vidyalaya (Fees Tatha SambandhitVidhyon Ka Viniyaman) Act to list transport charges as a separate fee component.
Govt should step in
It is indeed surprising that the schools are charging different fees from students travelling the same distances. The government should step in
