Fee regulation body headless; Parents, stakeholders concerned

Srinagar, Dec 10: The Fee Fixation and Regulation Committee (FFRC) continue to remain headless after the tenure of its chairman Justice (Retd) Muzaffar Hussain Attar ended on November 13 last month. Justice Attar served on the post since November 9, 2020.
A month has passed but the government has not taken any step for the appointment of a new chairman of the committee, which assumes crucial significance given the issues confronting the regulation of fees in schools.
The fee panel is without a chairman at this crucial time when the new academic session is likely to start in schools, an official of the FFRC said.
He said the complaints have already started pouring in against some private educational institutions over some issues related to the hike in fees and collection of annual charges.
“The grievances of parents are piling up in the FFRC office as no decision is being taken on the issues related to private schools,” he said.
Another official said, “We cannot take a decision on any issue unless the committee gets a new chairman. The government should fill up the post on a priority basis considering the importance of the committee in regulating the fee structure of private schools.”
Notably, the government has shifted the academic session to March from the current year following which the private schools have started issuing their own diktats to parents citing “extension” in the session.
“Most of the issues are pending with the committee because the private schools have created confusion among parents over the change in the academic session. However, we are helpless till a new chairman is appointed,” the official said.
“After the appointment of Chairman FFRC in November 2020 for two years, the government in May 2022 notified in its rules that the term of the chairman FFRC would be for three years. However, the government did not clarify whether the new rules would be given retrospective and prospective effect,” he added.
As already reported, the government has left the J&K Board of School Education (BOSE) and J&K SCERT headless for more than six months now.
The government’s move to leave FFRC, BOSE and SCERT headless has raised concerns among parents and other stakeholders.
The post of Chairman JKBOSE and Director JKSCERT was advertised by SED on April 24, 2022, which was followed by the constitution of two separate committees by the General Administration Department (GAD) for the appointment of the Chairman J&K Board and Director JKSCERT.
However, on June 25, the government constituted search committees afresh thus delaying the appointment of the candidates for the post of Chairman JKBOSE and Director SCERT.
A top official in the School Education Department (SED) said the Chairman FFRC was to be appointed by the government for which the order has to be issued by the General Administration Department (GAD). “The Education Department has nothing to do with this appointment,” he said.
On the issue of Chairman JKBOSE, the official said a panel of candidates was submitted to the government and the final decision is awaited. (KNO)