Despite several complaints, government has not yet taken a stand to address the issue
More than a hundred parents of various private schools came together to protest at Azad Maidan against the government’s failure to act against massive fee hikes imposed by the schools. They were joined by a few members of Forum for Fairness in Education (FFE), a city-based educational NGO.
Parents from several schools in the city complained about the fee hike and charging them exorbitantly. It is prohibited under the Maharashtra Prohibition of capitation fees act, 1987. Several parents also stated that schools do not take prior permission of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), a norm that they need to follow under the Fee Regulation Act before hiking the fees by over 15 per cent.
“Schools are openly flouting all the norms laid by the state with respect to fees. Despite taking up our issues with the school management, there is no response from their side. Despite several complaints from parents all over the city, the government is not taking stringent measures to curb these issues,” said one of the protesting parents on the condition of anonymity.
Jayant Jain, President, FFE, said that there is a nexus between the government officials and the school authorities as a result of which they are not acting despite several complaints.
We have got complaints from over 20 schools in the last one month and the government is still not acting on it,” said Jain.
The forum is now planning to file a PIL in the Bombay High court. “We plan to approach the court to plead the education department to strengthen the role of the fee regulation committee. Schools often manipulate PTAs and the decision to fix fees should lie with the committee,” said Jain.
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