AP Govt – 30% Less Fee in Private Schools/Colleges for A.Y 2020-21

Andhra Pradesh Government after careful examination of the matter and on the recommendations – reduction of 30% of the tuition fees for the academic year 2020-21 which was allowed to be collected by the Managements of the Private Un-aided Educational Institutions and shall collect 70% of the tuition fees from parents equivalent to which they collected during the last academic year, i.e., 2019-20.

School Education Department – COVID -19 – Private Un-Aided Schools / Junior colleges – Fee to be collected from parents /students for the Academic year 2020-21-Orders –Issued.

1. The Andhra Pradesh School Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission, proposed to review and determine the fee structure for the Private Unaided Schools and Junior Colleges in the state of Andhra Pradesh for the academic year 2020-21 and issued a notification read 1st above directing the managements of all the Private Unaided Schools and Junior Colleges in the state of Andhra Pradesh to submit relevant data in the prescribe schedules.

2. Aggrieved by the same, KAY VEE ORR Education, Mailavaram have filed a Writ Petition and the Hon’ble AP High Court in WP No. 9563 in 2020 stayed the notification for a period of six weeks initially and extended thereafter.

3. In the prevailing circumstances due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the resultant lockdown measures and economic situation and taking in to consideration of the plight of the parents who are not in a position to pay the tuition fees for their children studying in the Private Un-aided Schools/Junior Colleges, on the recommendation of the Andhra Pradesh School Education Regulatory Monitoring Commission (APSERMC), orders were issued in the reference 5th cited, by the Government directing the Managements of all the Private Un-aided Recognized Schools/Junior Colleges not to increase any kind of fees during the academic year 2020-21 and shall collect only tuition fee on monthly basis until further orders.

4. The Chairperson, Andhra Pradesh School Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission (APSERMC) vide reference 6th cited has informed that, after review, considering the plight of the parents who were economically incapacitated, the Commission in exercise of powers under Section 9 of Act 21 of 2019 has recommended to impose a reduction of 30% of tuition fee for the academic year 2020-21 which was allowed to be collected in the references 3rd cited , and permit the managements of private un-aided educational institutions to collect 70% of the tuition fee equivalent to which they collected during the last academic year and requested to issue necessary instructions to all concerned in the matter.

5. The matter has been referred to Health Department and they have informed that World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) epidemic affecting all the regions of the World as pandemic.

6. To contain and control COVID-19, Government of India has declared Lockdown-1 from 25th March to 14th April 2020, Lockdown-2 from 15th April to 3rd May 2020, Lockdown-3 from 4th May to 17th May 2020 and Lockdown 4 from 18th May to 31st May 2020, In total 68 days of Lock down are implemented in accordance with directives issued by Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The Government of India slowly started Unlocking-1 from 1st June to 30th June’2020, Unlocking-2 from 1st July to 31st July 2020, Unlocking-3 from 1st August to 31st August 2020, Unlocking-4 from 1st September to 30th September2020 and Unlocking-5 from 1st October onwards. Due to these lockdowns and slow unlocking all the economic activities have come to a complete closure and general public more so middle class and below have faced lot of hardships and financial problems due to abrupt and unprecedented stoppage of economic activities.

7. The state of Andhra Pradesh is also badly affected due to pandemic of COVID-19, in all regions of the state. As many as 9,074 containment zones are formed in the state where 1.10 Crore population live. Due to containment measures in these clusters there is a complete closure of this cluster which has not only restricted the movement of the citizens but has also led to complete closure of all economic activities in these containment clusters, which further have deepened the financial crisis already existing due to lockdowns.

8. In order to examine the matter further from the point of the view school/ college managements, Government have called for the remarks of Director, School Education (DSE) and Commissioner, Intermediate Education (CIE). The DSE and CIE while requesting for implementing the recommendation of the Chairperson, AP School Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission, informed that the proposed reduction in the fees of the Private Unaided Recognized Schools/Junior Colleges is required and it may not affect the managements substantially as the total operational and maintenance costs, which the Private Un-aided Schools/Junior Colleges may incur for regular studies during normal days, have been definitely reduced due to the following reasons:

a) that all the educational institutions in the state were closed with effect from 22-3-2010 and that the institutions have not been reopened till now in the academic year i.e., 2020-21 and that the daily operational and maintenance costs for the school have substantially reduced,

b) that government have tentatively decided to reopen the educational institutions from 2nd November, 2020 and for a period of almost five months the schools did not function as during normal times and, to that extent the normal operation costs for the school have substantially reduced,

c) that the institutions have been directed to implement alternative academic calendar and to encourage online teaching as per the PRAGYATA guidelines issued by Government of India and as such the institutions would not have incurred substantial expenditure on instruction and maintenance all these days, and

d) that for the remaining months also the School Education department is proposing a reduction in the load of the syllabus and as such the expenditure on instructional hours would also come down.

e) that all co-curricular and extra-curricular activities in the schools have not been held all these months, and also that the operational and maintenance costs of school buses would have been bare minimal during these months.

9. Government after careful examination of the matter and on the recommendations of the Chairperson, Andhra Pradesh School Education Regulatory Monitoring Commission (APSERMC) and also in consultation with the Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department, and also the remarks offered by Director of School Education, Commissioner of Intermediate Education and Under section 7 of the Andhra Pradesh Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Prohibition of Capitation Fee) ACT, 1983 (ACT 5 of 1983), hereby decided to impose a reduction of 30% of the tuition fees for the academic year 2020-21 which was allowed to be collected by the Managements of the Private Un-aided Educational Institutions and shall collect 70% of the tuition fees from parents equivalent to which they collected during the last academic year, i.e., 2019-20.

10. It is further ordered that the present arrangement is necessitated and implemented in view of the grave pandemic on account of COVID-19 and shall not be construed as an affirmation of the fee structure being collected by the respective institutions. The appropriate fee structure relevant for the full academic year and further particulars shall abide by the decision of the Commission and further orders of the Hon’ble High Court of Andhra Pradesh in WP No 9563/2020.