Members of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly on Tuesday discussed the issue of private schools charging excessive fees during the budget session.

Legislators Pradeep Prasad, Babulal Marandi, Naveen Jaiswal, and others expressed concern about high fees imposed under the name of re-admission and other charges. Both the ruling and opposition parties largely agreed on the issue.

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Education Minister Ramdas Soren said that if a school breaks the rules, people can file complaints with the district-level committee, and strict action will be taken against those responsible.

Recognizing the seriousness of the issue, Assembly Speaker Ravindranath Mahato stressed the need for a law to regulate school fees and urged the government to take action. His suggestion received strong support from the members of the House.

Hazaribagh MLA Pradeep Prasad asked why schools under the same education board in the state charge different fees. He urged the government to create a law to ensure all private schools follow a uniform fee structure. He also pointed out that if the government does not control school fees, children from poor families will never be able to afford private education.

Leader of the Opposition, Babulal Marandi, noted that a Fee Regulatory Tribunal is in place to oversee private school fees, but it rarely meets. He suggested holding monthly meetings, led by the District Commissioner, especially before the admission season. He also recommended informing all public representatives in advance so they can attend and raise parents’ concerns.

Education Minister Ramdas Soren explained that private schools are allowed to set their own fees, but action will be taken if they break the rules. He admitted that charging high re-admission fees is a serious problem and assured that complaints would be reviewed by the district-level committee.

Schools found guilty could face fines ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh. He also mentioned that the government had earlier tried to address this issue by filing a case in the High Court against arbitrary school fees, but the petition was later dismissed.

After the heated discussion in the Jharkhand Assembly, the big question is whether the state government will actually create a law to control school fees or if the issue will remain just a topic of debate. The government has said it will wait for the committee’s recommendations, but the opposition and some MLAs are pushing for immediate action.

Now, it’s a wait-and-watch situation to see if the government follows the Speaker’s suggestion or if the matter remains stuck in political discussions without real action.