Maharashtra parents march against fee hike

Hundreds of parents from across the state will march to the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai today to protest the arbitrary fee hikes of schools across the state. Parents of various schools from Mumbai, Pune, Nasik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Solapur and several other parts of Maharashtra plan to meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to submit a list of demands with respect to the issue.

The protest is organised by the Prajakta Pethkar Foundation in Pune and would see participation from parents of over 50 schools in the state demanding the government to take strict action against schools that do not adhere to norms laid down under various fee regulation provisions by the state. "Over the last few years, several schools across the state have been hiking their fees enormously. In most cases, parents have tried to resist these hikes and registered complaints with the state education department. Despite orders against the hikes in several cases, schools have gone ahead and charged the excess amounts. Children whose parents refuse to pay fees are sent expulsion notices. This must stop," said Prajakta Pethkar, a Pune-based parent.

Several organisations and parents' groups including the Parents of Private Schools of Maharashtra (POPSOM), MAHA Parents and Parent Action Committee etc will participate in the protest. "The most prominent demand for us is to make the process of deciding the fees more transparent. The school should decide a fee structure in the presence of the PTA along with an education officer so that parents won't be forced to give in their consent," said Milind Gangurde from POPSOM.