'Pay school fees digitally': MoE urges states to adopt UPI payments for ease of schooling

The ministry of education (MoE) has encouraged states and Union Territories to adopt the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in order to strengthen ease of schooling by modernizing administrative processes, especially those related to financial transactions in schools.

The ministry has asked all states and autonomous bodies under the MoE, such as NCERT, CBSE, KVS, NVS to explore and implement mechanisms that enable schools to collect admission and examination fees through secure and transparent digital modes.

The letter stated that the use of UPI, mobile wallets, and net banking is significantly growing, and a shift to digital payments will ensure “convenience, transparency, and the ability to make payments from home without visiting schools”, it said.

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“This would also enable all stakeholders to become more financially literate thereby opening up a larger world of digital transactions. This initiative will contribute significantly towards realizing the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 — a digitally empowered, inclusive, and citizen-centric education system,” it said.

The Government of India has taken several initiatives to promote ease of living and schooling through a range of legislative and policy reforms. However, the ministry said that the shift to digital payment in schooling is a first and aligns with the government’s broader goal of digital transformation," it said.