The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has urged the Nagaland Government to enact a law regulating fees in private educational institutions, saying the proposed legislation would safeguard the interests of students, parents, teachers and educational institutions while ensuring greater transparency and accountability in the education sector.
In a representation addressed to the Chief Secretary, the federation proposed the constitution of the Nagaland Non-Government Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fees) Act to regulate fee structures and admissions in private and professional educational institutions across the State.
The NSF said that while private educational institutions have played a significant role in delivering quality education and producing commendable academic results, there is a need for a regulatory framework to monitor their recognition, establishment and functioning and to prevent arbitrary fee hikes.
The federation said the proposed legislation should also address the welfare of teachers employed in private institutions by ensuring fair salaries and preventing the denial of rightful remuneration.
According to the NSF, the proposed fee regulation policy should take into account factors such as the location of institutions, available infrastructure, classes and courses offered, qualifications of teaching and non-teaching staff, salary components and annual increments, expenditure incurred per student and the overall income of the institution, among other relevant parameters.
The federation stressed that the policy should be framed after consultations with all stakeholders to ensure it serves the interests of both educational institutions and the wider public.
As part of its demands, the NSF has urged the government to constitute a High-Powered Committee within one month of receiving the representation to formulate the modalities of the proposed Nagaland Non-Government Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fees) Act. It has also sought the formulation of a comprehensive policy within three months and the enactment and implementation of the legislation within six months.
The federation also enclosed references to fee regulation policies adopted by other states and stated that it would submit a draft of the proposed policy to the government for consideration.