Kohima, July 28 (MExN): The Naga Students' Federation (NSF) has called upon the Nagaland government to enact a comprehensive policy to regulate fees and admissions in private educational institutions across the state, citing concerns over arbitrary fee hikes and the exploitation of teachers.
In a representation submitted to the Chief Secretary, the NSF demanded the constitution of the Nagaland Non-Government Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fees) Act within a stipulated timeframe of six months.
NSF President Mteisuding and Editor & Convenor of the Education Committee, Pithungo Shitio, said that the federation, which has been examining the functioning of private institutions, acknowledged their role in fostering quality education and delivering commendable academic results. However, the federation emphasized the necessity of a robust monitoring mechanism to ensure transparency in their establishment and operations.
“The purpose of the proposed policy is to regulate fees and admissions in private and professional educational institutions to prevent arbitrary fee hikes and the harassment of students and parents. It should also regulate the salaries of teachers employed in private institutions, who are often deprived of their rightful remuneration,” it stated.
The proposed policy, according to the NSF, must take into consideration factors such as the location of the institution, infrastructure available, classes or courses offered, qualifications of teaching and non-teaching staff, salary components and annual increments, expenditure incurred per student in relation to the total income of the institution, and other relevant parameters.
The federation has urged the state government to constitute a High-Powered Committee within one month to formulate the modalities of the proposed Act. It further demanded to formulate a comprehensive policy as proposed within three months and its enactment and implementation within six months from the date of issuance of the representation.
The NSF has also submitted references to fee regulation policies adopted by other states and assured that it would submit a draft policy for the government's consideration.
