KATHMANDU: Already four months into the current academic session, the government has failed to monitor the implementation of recommended fee structures in the private schools of the Valley. There are 1,200 such schools in Kathmandu, 274 in Lalitpur and 193 in Bhaktapur districts. Majority of private schools are charged of collecting high fees but offering very few facility to students and teachers.

“Fee structures were determined some weeks ago but it is getting late to supervise theimplementation of rules and regulations in the institutional schools,” conceded Suprabhat Bhandari, a member

of the Institutional School Fee Structuring and Monitoring Committee, and president of the Guardians' Association Nepal. According to the ISFSMC, the fee structures were determined two months ago in Lalitpur, about a month ago in Kathmandu and about two weeks ago in Bhaktapur. Monthly tuition fee ceiling has been fixed at Rs 600 for primary level and Rs 1,100 for secondary level.

“Some of the schools have rated themselves in higher than the facilities they are offering to charge high fees,” he added.

According to the law, action can be taken against the schools by seeking clarification, charging a fine of up to Rs 2,000, blacklisting the schools and cancelling their registration as well.

Bhoj Bahadur Shah, president, Private and Boarding Schools' Organisation, said the monitoring was yet to begin after the determination of fee structure. “The district monitoring committees are responsible for looking into the matter,” he added.

Lila Mani Paudel, officer at the Kathmandu District Education Office, said action was taken against 76 schools for not submitting the fee structures of the ongoing

academic session. The private schools are expected to submit the fee structure two months prior to the beginning of the new session.

“Altogether 60 schools were fined Rs 2,000 each and 14 were charged

Rs 4,000 each for violating the

rules in Kathmandu,” said Paudel. “We are planning to intensify

the monitoring soon.”