Coaching Centres aghast at government policies Govt forcing hike of tuition fee by 20.5 % in Kashmir valley Non implementation of rules and raids threatening 50,000 students Srinagar, December 01-2013 (CNS):- Coaching Centres Association (CCA) of Kashmir has flayed the government for its policy of double taxation and non-implementation of rules that threatens to raise tuition fee by huge 20.5 percent. The association said that the move will make education unaffordable for poor students. The association held an emergency meeting in Srinagar today following dubious government policies to render coaching centres defunct in the valley. “We are facing a very critical situation as government is denying the registration to around 550 coaching centres due to some unknown reasons,” said G N Var, chairman CCA. “We were promised formal registration after our provisional registration expired in March 2013, but after eight months and numerous reminders the concerned officials are denying us the same. This puts future of 50,000 students enrolled in our institutes at risk.” The government had framed rules vide order No: 435-Edi of 2010 dated April 30, 2010 under the Regulation of Private Tuition Centre Rules, 2010, to regulate the functioning/performance of private tuition centres in the state. “But now they are backtracking on their own rules, which we fear might be some deep rooted conspiracy to deprive poor and deserving students quality education,” said Var. “Even Chief Minister addressed the issue of registration in assembly but the concerned officials are doing nothing.” Secondly government seems to be undecided whether to declare coaching centres as an industry or a social service. “Without registration they are asking us to pay 10 percent service tax as an industry and provide free education to 10 percent of the enrolled students as a social service,” said Var. “That amounts to 20.5 percent of cost escalation in private tuition fee and it will be unaffordable to poor students.” The association asked the government, “If we are a social service then declare us the same and we will happily provide free education to 10 percent of students.” But then as a social service government cannot impose 10 percent service tax on us. In case we are being declared as an industry then we are ready for taxation, but then government cannot force us to provide free education. And we are entitled to industrial benefits too. “The irony is that the government wants to tax us as an industry and force us to provide free education as a social service,” said Var. “Nowhere in India is such a bizarre policy under implementation. It simply means that the government wants to shutdown the coaching institutes of Kashmir valley.” The association accused the government of employing other tactics to close the institutes too. “Ours is the only sector that is being raided by police, tax men, officials of education department and district administrations,” said Var. “They don’t register us, term us illegals and then raid us on one pretext or another. It is contempt to education and a case of pure harassment.” The association asked the government why such rules are not being followed in Jammu and Ladakh regions, and only coaching centres of Kashmir are made scape-goats. “Every year at the start of academic session government rakes this issue in Kashmir only, whereas for the whole year they remain deaf to our pleas for implementation of guidelines,” said Var. After two decades of educational mess, the sector has been seeing phenomenal growth in private sector in Kashmir. It not only propelled poor and deserving students to new heights but it also empowered them. It is the pressure of these outspoken students-who unlike their meek predecessors-forced the unraveling of current spate of scandals and frauds. “It is one elite and exploitative section of our society that is unnerved by this social empowerment and they want quality education to remain their exclusive domain,” said Var. “They destroyed government education sector and now want private education to go down the drain.” Now the same section is lobbying hard in the government to either close down the coaching institutes or escalate their cost. “This will either result in rich people sending their children to outside state for coaching and poor people remaining in Kashmir,” said Var. “In second case if cost escalates the rich will again afford the quality education and poor will be thrown out of the loop.”
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 12:05:39 +0000
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