|
|
|
|
|
| Saturday, July 19, 2008
Court fixes fee for students
- Action against private unaided teacher training institute if excess amount is collected
Chennai: The Madras High Court has fixed a fee of Rs.23,000 per year per student (from first year students) in private unaided teacher training institutes in the State for the academic year 2008-2009.
In his order, Justice N. Paul Vasanthakumar said the amount was arrived at on the basis of the approval of the Fee Committee constituted by the Union Territory of Puducherry for the year 2004-2005 and subsequent years. No private unaided teacher training institute should collect more than the said amount fixed. If any excess amount was collected, it was open for the School Education department to initiate action against the said management under the Tamil Nadu Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Collection of Capitation Fee) Act and the rules framed thereunder.
The Self Financing Private Teacher Training Institutes Association, represented by its president T.V.K. Babu, filed a petition seeking a direction to the authorities to permit the petitioner association’s member institutions to collect Rs.25,000 to Rs.35,000 from each student per annum as tuition fee for Diploma in Teacher Education (DTE) course as an interim measure for the academic year 2008-09, pending disposal of the writ petition. The petitioner contended that counselling for admission to DTE course had already commenced and if no fee was fixed by the authorities, interest of students and the institutions would be affected.
In the writ petition, the petitioner said the authorities should prescribe a reasonable fee structure including tuition fee to be collected by the petitioner’s member institutions through a Fee Committee as contemplated in the Supreme Court decisions.
Mr. Justice Vasanthakumar said in Tamil Nadu, more than 600 private unaided TTIs were granted recognition till date. Counselling for admission to DTE course had commenced and students were being given allotment orders to various private unaided TTIs. One of the orders directed a student to pay Rs.1,500 as special fee to the management. The student had remitted an admission fee of Rs.3,500 at the time of counselling, which was non-refundable. From the order, it was evident that only Rs.1,500 was directed to be paid to the private unaided management.
The petitioner institutions required finance, which could be collected only through fees. By not fixing the proper and appropriate fee, the managements were freely collecting fee by stating that no prescribed fee was fixed for admission, approved by the Fee Committee and due to the said fact the School Education Department was unable to implement the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Collection of Capitation Fee) Act. Hence, it was just and proper to prescribe a specific fee for admission to DTE course for the academic year 2008-09, pending finalisation of proper fee and approval by the Fee Committee to be constituted by a committee headed by a retired High Court Judge as ordered by the Supreme Court.
Courtesy: The Hindu
|
| << Back |
|
|
