Capping Not Solution to Exorbitant School Fees: Prakash Javadekar

Prakash Javadekar said debates in institutions were welcome but not pro-Pakistan or anti-national slogans.

Representational photo of parents protesting the fee hike by private schools at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. (Photo Courtesy: Facebook/ Parents Against Fee Hike)

Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said capping fees was not a solution to exorbitant private school fees, and asserted that quality of education in government schools will be improved in coming years.

He also said that debates on educational institutions' campuses were welcome but pro-Pakistan or anti-national slogans will not be tolerated.

Schools are not for profiteering; we have been issuing warnings from time to time to private schools charging exorbitant fees. But then capping the fees is not the solution. It is more important to improve the quality of government schools.

Prakash Javadekar, Union Human Resource Development Minister

Also Read: School ‘Loot’: Are Parents Being Cheated With Massive Fee Hikes?

“If government schools are as good, students will go there instead of private schools. So, if there is no demand (for private schools) there won’t be high fees,” reasoned the Minister.

"We have been taking steps to check exorbitant fees. But at the same time, we also need to realise that education in the private sector too has its place and there exists a cost of education," he added.

Also Read: Parents’ Pain: Nationwide Survey on School Fees Shows 11-20% Hike