Question

Write a debate on capitation fee charged in schools in 250 words.highlight some glaring cases and comment on this unfair practise.

Answer 1

Good morning everyone present here. Distinguished guests, learned jury, and my dear fellow students, I stand here to express my views on ‘the unfair practice of charging capitation fee by schools’. The educational expenses in the current times have assumed back-breaking proportions. The tuition fee charged by the private schools is so much that an ordinary man or woman cannot have his or her children educated at such schools. Adding to the burden, these schools charge capitation fee according to their own policies which aim at collecting funds from the parents. The parents all across the nation are protesting against this financial burden.

The Honourable Supreme Court of India has issued a directive against the capitation fee. A five-judge Constitution bench of Justices A R Dave, A K Sikri, R K Agrawal, A K Goel and R Banumathi said the objective of setting up educational institutions must not be to make profit and the government must step in to regulate the sector to promote merit, curb malpractices and secure merit-based admission in a transparent manner.

According to the directive Education must treated as a noble occupation on 'no-profit-no-loss' basis. Any school that indulges in profiteering activities through ill practices such as charging exorbitant tuition fee, admission fee, or any type of capitation fee must be strictly dealt with by the Government. The parents must be made aware of this directive. They must protest against any exploitative practice adopted by any educational institute.

Answer 2

Good morning, Mr Chairman Sir. It is a privilege for me to stand before this august audience and speak in favour of the subject.

Corruption has become a way of life in our country and charging capitation fee is one of the most glaring examples of this practice. This has become cancerous ever since schools and colleges have mushroomed across the country under dubious trusts and private bodies.

India is a highly populated country, 7th largest in area, but the second most populous in the world. Consequently, it has a high population density. So, in spite of a high level of illiteracy, the average Indian's desire for the 'best' school education for his or her ward and a commensurately low number of such schools being available for admission, there is a fair amount of jostling at the time of admission. This becomes an ideal scenario for the sharks in men's clothing and they do not lose the opportunity of making hay while the sun shines. In the midst of this chaos called admission begins the auction; some seats are allotted through the results of tests, while others are 'offered' under the management's or trustees' quota, an euphemism used to couch corruption; for the latter types of seats, hefty capitation fee is charged. It is sad that our educational phase begins with the dirty word "corruption".

Sir, courts have ruled against capitation fee and our leaders have given long sermons in the matter, but we are an innovative race, so are capable of finding devious ways to circumvent the laid down rules and rulings. The vicious circle keeps going from cash to kind and back to cash. It is time the Government became more serious and took control of the situation by better monitoring; trustees or private bodies indulging in this corrupt practice must be dissolved and the schools run by them should come directly under Government's management.