Aizawl, Feb. 11: The National Institute of Open Schools and co-ordinators in the state have been pulled up for illegally taking unauthorised tuition fees from their students.

Advocate Sanghmingliana Sailo has asked them to stop this malpractice or face charges in Gauhati High Court to protect the rights of the learners and save them from exploitation by unscrupulous commercialised “education centres”.

The pleaders’ notice said excessive fees were being collected at all the co-ordinating centres and other commercial unauthorised study centres, which were taking advantage of the students by even charging them for filling online forms.

There are 17 recognised study centres in the state, besides dozens of “counselling centres or study centres”, which are run commercially, the pleaders’ notice said.

The institute, set up by the Union ministry of human resource development for Classes X and XII and vocational courses, should provide education through distance learning with nominal fees.

However, in Mizoram, the students are being exploited by unscrupulous “educationists” who have imposed high fees on the learners.

Even the accredited co-ordinators are charging Rs 300 or more per month from learners, based on a “resolution” of an unrecognised “Mizoram NIOS Co-ordinators Association,” the notice said.

It is not an “empowered authority or court of law to extract money from learners,” the notice said, terming it an “absolutely wrong and serious malpractice for wrongful gain”.

It was set up by the Centre particularly to help persons who would like to continue their studies but have no time to attend classes, or who dropped out and would like to complete a course.

Some individuals in Mizoram also run a number of so-called coaching/tuition centres.

Since the past few years, thousands of students from Mizoram also have joined the institutes without knowing the very objectives and directives of the government of India in this regard.

The prescribed admission fees (without late fee) for senior secondary and secondary courses are Rs 655 and Rs 580 respectively.

No extra money is to be paid by the learners.

However, students in Mizoram are charged Rs1,500 to Rs 1,200, the legal notice said.