A majority of the private schools are charging exorbitant fees, flouting the fee ceiling set by the government, according to the Ministry of Education.

The ministry has intensified the monitoring of schools as decided by the Central Fee Fixation and Monitoring Committee two weeks ago.

Five inspection teams led by officials from the ministry, Department of Education and District Education Offices have inspected over 100 schools in Kathmandu Valley. Each monitoring team comprises government officials, representatives of students, guardians and the teachers’ association, in addition to those from the umbrella bodies of institutional schools.

“Most of the schools have been found to be flouting the fee ceiling,” said Shankar Bahadur Gautam, District Education Officer in Kathmandu.

The monitoring teams are meeting at the ministry on Wednesday to discuss actions against those flouting the rules, Gautam said, adding that some of the schools had been charging as high as Rs25,000 per month, which is several times the permitted amount.

Gautam said a majority of schools are charging hefty fees under annual and miscellaneous fees. “Every school not adhering to the rule will face action. However, it will differ from school to school,” he said. All schools are required to get their fees approved from the respective District Education Office at the start of the academic year.