Parliament Question: Levy of fees in Government schools despite RTE provisions

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3700 ANSWERED ON 25/03/2026 Levy of fees in Government schools despite RTE provisions 3700 Shri S Niranjan Reddy: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is aware that despite the provisions of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, a Comprehensive Modular Survey on Education conducted by the NSSO (2025) has reported that around 27 per cent of students are paying course fees in Government schools at different levels of education; (b) whether it is a fact that about 8 per cent of students enrolled in grades I to VIII pay an average course fee of ₹229 per year in Government schools; and (c) if so, the steps taken by Government to ensure strict compliance with the RTE Act? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) to (c): Education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution. Schools, other than those owned/funded by the Central Government, are under the jurisdiction of the respective State Governments. Therefore, matters related to the management of schools including fee structure are regulated in accordance with the Rules and Instructions of the respective State Government concerned. However, under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, every child aged six to fourteen has the right to free and compulsory elementary education in a neighborhood school. Section 12(1) (c) of the RTE Act, 2009 mandates reservation in private unaided schools for children belonging to weaker sections and disadvantaged groups to the extent of at least 25% seats at the entry level and provision of free and compulsory elementary education to such children till its completion. *****