Karnataka high court's fee hike verdict irks Mumbai schools

Private unaided schools in the city are worried that the state government may be influenced by the recent Karnataka high court ruling which mandates uniform fee structure for such schools.

To add to their anxiety is a similar judgement passed by the Supreme Court for Tamil Nadu.

The schools want to have a say in the fees charged by them as they believe it depends in large part on the quality of services offered by them, and that a uniform structure will force them to rollback facilities which set them apart from the crowd and lead to lowering the general standard of education.      

According to Perin Bagli, principal of Activity High School, Grant Road, the Karnataka court’s ruling might prod the state government towards implementing a similar policy.

“The government is in any case keen on controlling the fee structure of private schools, and this decision will certainly impact further decisions about fee regulation in the state. We are afraid that the courts and the government might look at Karntaka’s case as a precedent,” she said.

So far, the schools have been using the formula of dividing the total expenses of the school by the number of students to arrive at the fee structure.
Principals feel that if the fees is decided by the government, schools will be forced to roll back a lot of facilities. Rohan Bhat, principal, Children’s Academy, Malad, said this will lead to ‘mediocracy’ in education.

“Each school has its unique fee structure because it offers different faculty, infrastructure, and other facilities. Even the salaries of teachers vary from school to school. However, if the government sets a common guideline for schools, many will not be able to offer high-quality services,” he said.

Parents have expressed mixed reactions on the issue. Shobha Nair, parent of a student of Podar International School in Santa Cruz, said, “I have admitted my child to an international school because I wanted a particular standard of education for him.”

“While the school is charging hefty fees, it also provides quality services. But if the government decides the fee structure, it might compromise the standard of education in the school. I am not willing to risk it,” she added.

Echoing her view, Dinaz Qureshi, a parent whose child studies in Jankidevi Public School, Andheri, said, “I think  a common fee structure will translate to common standards as well. This is alright if the standards set are high,
otherwise, we might become victims of mediocrity in education.”