Questions are increasingly being raised by parents and education stakeholders over the utilisation of funds collected from students of Vidyajyoti schools in Tripura under the name of “school development fund”. The issue was also raised in the Tripura Assembly. In a written reply to a question from Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury, the education minister informed that a total of Rs 26.56 crore had been collected from students of Vidyajyoti schools during the three financial years from 2023-24 to 2025-26. The collection stood at over Rs 9.22 crore in 2023-24, more than ₹8.84 crore in 2024-25, and above Rs 8.49 crore in 2025-26. The Vidyajyoti project had started several years earlier, and informed circles estimate that the total collection over the years may have already crossed Rs 50 crore.

According to the education department, 125 schools in the state have been brought under the Vidyajyoti project. No new schools were established under the scheme; rather, existing schools were converted into Vidyajyoti schools. Around 92,921 students are currently enrolled in these institutions.

The department claims that the annual development fee of Rs 1,000 per student is not mandatory and that financially weak students may apply to the school principal for a fee waiver. However, parents allege that the real situation is very different. They claim that schools deliberately withhold information regarding fee waivers and create indirect pressure on students to pay the amount, especially before examinations and after admissions.

Many students studying in Vidyajyoti schools come from poor and lower-middle-class families, and parents allege they are effectively compelled to pay the fees. Some parents in Agartala have alleged that certain schools charge as much as Rs 1,200 annually.

As lakhs of rupees continue to be collected year after year in the name of school development, serious questions are now being asked about where the money is being spent and whether it is being utilised at all for improving educational infrastructure. In late October 2025, a ceiling fan fell inside a classroom inside Umakanta English medium school in Agartala. A student of 3rd standard was injured as the fan fell on his head. This is the situation in a renowned school in Agartala.

Several parents have alleged that despite the huge collection of fees, there is little visible development in the schools throughout the year. Questions are also being raised over the transparency of the fund and its actual purpose. Parents complain that school authorities avoid giving direct answers whenever the issue is raised, further deepening suspicion.

Critics also allege that despite the ‘Vidyajyoti’ branding, there is little practical difference between these schools and ordinary government schools. They point out that the Right to Education norms regarding neighbourhood-based admissions have effectively been bypassed, while schools have been shifted from the Tripura Board of Secondary Education to the CBSE system without adequate preparation. Parents and observers further allege that several subjects prescribed under the CBSE curriculum are still not being taught in Vidyajyoti schools. They also complain of outdated study materials and an acute shortage of subject teachers as well as general teaching staff. According to many parents, the “glory” associated with the Vidyajyoti model exists more on signboards than in actual educational standards.