Parliament Question: Uniformed Fee Structure in all Schools

**Executive Summary** This document presents the answer given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 439, answered on February 2, 2026. The questions pertained to the reasons for not implementing a uniform fee structure, whether there was demand for uniform fee structure, and proposals for uniform syllabus in all public/private schools in the country. It states that the education and associated matters lie under the State government purview and the state governments are responsible for regulating school management, curriculum, and fee structures. **Key Points / Main Content** * **Jurisdiction over Education:** * Education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution. * Schools not owned/funded by the Central Government fall under the jurisdiction of respective State Governments. * State Governments regulate school management, including fee structure, based on their own rules and instructions. * The preparation of curricula and textbooks for schools not under the Central Government's jurisdiction lies within the State Governments. * **Right to Education Act (RTE), 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 private unaided schools to reserve at least 25% of seats for children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups. * **National Education Policy (NEP) and National Curriculum Framework (NCF):** * The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023 provide broad guiding principles for curricula and textbooks at the national level. * NCERT textbooks are being developed in alignment with these frameworks. * States/UTs have the choice to adopt/adapt NCF-SE and subsequent textbooks. * States will prepare their own curricula which may be based on the NCFSE prepared by NCERT to the extent possible and prepare textbooks which may be based on the NCERT textbook materials to the extent possible), incorporating State flavour and material as needed. While doing so, it must be borne in mind that NCERT curriculum would be taken as the nationally acceptable criterion. **Impact Analysis** **State Governments** * **Impact:** Retain autonomy in managing school education, including fee structures, curriculum, and textbooks. * **Action Required:** Regulate schools based on their own rules and instructions, considering NEP 2020 and NCF-SE 2023 guidelines. **Private Unaided Schools** * **Impact:** Required to reserve 25% of seats for disadvantaged children, in compliance with the RTE Act. * **Action Required:** Comply with RTE Act provisions regarding reservations. **Students/Children** * **Impact:** Children aged 6-14 continue to have the right to free and compulsory elementary education. * **Action Required:** None. **NCERT** * **Impact:** Will provide broad guiding principles for curricula and textbooks at the national level. NCERT textbooks are being developed in alignment with these frameworks. * **Action Required:** Create curriculum that can be adopted across states.

Key Entities Referenced