Gujarat govt may exempt ‘Schools of Excellence’ from fee regulation law, seeks public suggestions

The Gujarat government is considering granting exemptions to select private schools under the ‘School of Excellence’ label from the Private School Fee Regulation Act, similar to exemptions given to private technical colleges and universities under the Center of Excellence status.

To implement this, the government would need to amend the Gujarat Self-Financed Schools Regulations of Fees Act, 2017, and draft a separate policy, for which suggestions have now been invited from public.

Under the proposed policy, the state plans to grant autonomy to 1% of private schools in Gujarat, aiming to enable these select schools to focus on achieving maximum educational excellence. These schools would be exempt from existing fee regulations, allowing them to determine their fee structures independently.

Officials noted that the policy aims to encourage schools to focus on improving student outcomes, enrollment, and exam performance. 

However, concerns have been raised that if large private schools, which already charge high fees, receive exemptions, it could lead to fee hikes, impacting parents financially.

Currently, only 1-3% of schools in Gujarat require strict fee regulations, as most others already have lower fee structures. With rising representations from large private schools, the government is reportedly moving towards this policy direction.

The government has invited online suggestions on the proposed policy until July 11, after which a framework and application process for identifying ‘Schools of Excellence’ will be finalised.