KATHMANDU: Parents have started lodging complaints regularly after the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology directed private schools to refund fees collected in violation of the law, including admission and other charges.
The ministry has also requested all local governments in writing to implement the directive and has established a help desk at the Education and Human Resource Development Centre in Bhaktapur to facilitate complaint handling.
According to Director Nirmal Prasad Singh Rathaur, the help desk has been actively responding to grievances received through various channels, improving service delivery effectiveness.
“My mobile number and email have been made public, so I receive calls from parents constantly. It is hard to keep up,” he said. “I respond to issues that can be resolved over the phone, while email complaints are compiled and submitted to the director general. Many parents are also found to be unclear about admission and annual fees, which has increased complaints.”
The Education Act, 2059 (with amendments), under Rule 146, outlines the types of fees schools are allowed to charge, including monthly tuition, annual fees, and specific service-based charges such as laboratory, library, extracurricular activities, transportation, and boarding services. It also allows limited admission fees and other regulated charges.
Rule 147 requires schools to propose fee structures before the start of the academic session, which must be reviewed and approved by local education authorities. A central monitoring committee, led by the director general of the centre, is responsible for overseeing fee regulation and compliance.
The ministry had earlier instructed all local authorities on April 5 to initiate legal action for the refund of illegally collected fees under the Private School Fee Determination Standards Directive, 2072. It warned that schools refusing to refund such charges could face action under the Education Act, 2028.
Following the directive, pressure from parents on private schools has increased. The government has also instructed that the new academic session begin from April 28.
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