Parents of children enrolled in RP School Lawaypora on the outskirts of Srinagar have accused the institution of forcing them to pay Rs 11,000 as annual charges for LKG students despite earlier assurances that the yearly fee would be minimal. The allegations have triggered anger among families who say they are facing humiliation and financial pressure at the hands of the private school that they had trusted with their children.
Parents said that at the time of admission, they were categorically informed that the annual fee would be only Rs 2000. Many guardians said they agreed to pay a hefty Rs 25000 as an admission fee solely on the assurance that recurring charges would remain manageable. They said the government has repeatedly claimed that private schools cannot charge admission fees, yet RP School collected the amount and is now demanding Rs 11000 annually from families of little children.
One parent whose daughter studies in LKG described the fee demand as harsh. She said she has no option but to pay the money because the school refuses to issue fee receipts or allow continuation without the new charges. Parents said the sudden rise has come as a shock and that they feel cheated after trusting an institution that had promised transparency and affordability at the time of admission.
Repeated attempts to contact the school principal did not materialise. His phone remained switched off.
Parents questioned why the School Education Department and the Fee Fixation and Regulation Committee have failed to ensure compliance with their own norms. They said the absence of accountability has encouraged schools to impose arbitrary charges on families already struggling with rising living costs.
Guardians urged the government to initiate immediate action, verify fee structures and prevent institutions from exploiting parents in the name of annual charges and admission fees. They said RP School Lawaypora should be held answerable for violating guidelines and for the distress caused to families who had enrolled their wards in good faith.
The Fee Fixation and Regulation Committee (FFRC) earlier on Monday issued a clarification, warning schools across Jammu and Kashmir against early fee charging for the 2026–27 academic session.
“Schools must adhere to this strictly, and any violation will be taken seriously,” the FFRC cautioned in a statement.
It notified that for the session 2026–27, the fee shall be charged from 1st April 2026 and not November 2025.
“Some complaints have been received against various schools located in the winter zone of J&K UT with respect to the fee being charged after the change of academic session starting from November every year, as ordered by the Government. These schools, after the session starts in November, are demanding the fee for the year 2026–27,” the FFRC stated.
It emphasized that the academic year and financial year are two different things. The financial year starts from 1st April every year, as a result of which the fee structure of the schools has been fixed accordingly. It is therefore informed that the fee fixed by the Committee is based on the financial year starting from 1st April onwards.
Further, it said that schools are directed not to charge any fee for 2026–27 from November onwards, but should charge the fee in March 2026 for the year 2026–27. This will be in accordance with the fee structure fixed by the Committee. [KNT inputs]
