Recurring school fee hikes a menace for parents in Maharashtra

Rising school fees has been one of the major causes of concern for parents across the state since past few years.While the cost of an admission form might range anywhere between Rs 5,00 to over Rs 5,000 depending on the school and its location, it is the yearly fee hikes after admission that has enraged parents in the state.

"All schools charge a security deposit and admission fees at the beginning of the year. Despite RTE guidelines, schools often charge admission fees at a time when the student goes from pre-primary to primary and then to secondary, higher secondary. Then there are term fees, tuition fees and various charges under miscellaneous heads,"said Anubha Sahai, President of the India-wide Parents Association.

Jayant Jain, President of Forum for Fairness in Education said that lack of action from the government is responsible for the menace."Despite laws in place, the government does not take action against a single private school for flouting norms. Not every parent can afford to move court and the processes being expensive, most of them just end up managing their expenses somehow and giving in to their demands," said Jain.

Rustom Kerawala, Chairman, Vibgyor Group of Schools said that there are a lot of factors that compel schools to hike fees. "We have to pay teachers salaries and also have to bear additional costs like GST that come up from time to time.Our institute ensures that the hikes are within permissible limits. If parents still refuse to pay, we cannot put the burden on other parents and thus have to take some steps"he added.