KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the government to introduce a system to regulate the fees in schools under the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The court asked the government to submit a report on the matter within one week. The Single Bench also directed the Department of Education to inform whether it will look into complaints of excessive fees, school records regarding expenditure and revenue. The court criticized the CBSE for not examining the revenue and expenditure records.

The order was issued after considering petitions against unaided schools' non-reduction of fees during the COVID period. The court had earlier directed that only a fee in accordance with the COVID situation should be collected from the students. The government had issued a circular on December 2 with a similar proposal. The court expressed dissatisfaction with the CBSE's stance that it cannot intervene in fee determination.