KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 14
Some private colleges inside Kathmandu metropolis have accepted that they are charging fee from students who are studying under scholarship quota of students nominated by Kathmandu Metropolitan City.
The metropolis had nominated a total of 2,322 students who were found eligible to get scholarship while studying in Grade XI. The education law in the country requires all the academic institutions to allocate 10 per cent of their total seat capacity to deserving students and to those belonging to underprivileged section of society.
Since the rule was not strictly implemented earlier, the Mayor of KMC Balendra Shah had taken the initiative and conducted the examination on its own. However, despite direct intervention of the local government, many students who studied under scholarship quota complained that 10 schools were exerting pressure on them to pay monthly tuition fee.
Some schools had collected fee amount of up to 9,500 per month.
Various colleges like Golden Gate College, Global College, Kathmandu Model College, Everest College, Florida College, CCRC College and Sifal College had collected fee from students under different titles. It has been found that these colleges charge money from students under various titles like library fee, practical fee, extra curricular fee, among others which aren't exactly taught in such colleges.
Responding to the supervision committee of the KMC yesterday, representatives of Global College of Management acknowledged that they were charging fee from students studying under scholarship quota under various topics. Principal of the college Aambadatta Joshi said they were charging fee from weak students who required extra classes. He further said the letter sent by the KMC had loopholes in it. "We thought we were asked not to charge monthly fee. It should have written 'No money should be collected from the students,'" Joshi told KMC representatives.
"When a letter has asked you to comply with the scholarship rule, you cannot charge any money from students.
There are no loopholes here," said Netra Narayan Paudel, education officer of KMC.
Other schools have complained to the KMC that they are in constant pressure from other sides like ward offices of the KMC as well to provide scholarships to the students. They said it was not a good idea to charge money from them.
In reply, KMC said it was the ward's right to select the students to let them study from Grade I and X, adding, "The schools and colleges cannot escape the rule." "No pressure will come to you apart from the local government in this matter and you must oblige by the rule," Paudel told school representatives.
The scholarships are provided to deserving talented students along with students from marginalised community, indigenous groups and Dalits community to uplift their education background. No money can be collected from students under these groups who are studying in scholarship quota and schools and colleges should not make any disparity in educational activities and functions for those studying on scholarship.
A version of this article appears in the print on October 15, 2023, of The Himalayan Times
