Goregaon parents demand reduction of fees, protest outside school

Parents of several students studying at Yashodham High School in Goregaon protested outside the school on Friday demanding a reduction in the school fees for the current year, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown

Parents of several students studying at Yashodham High School in Goregaon protested outside the school on Friday demanding a reduction in the school fees for the current year, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown.

Parents assembled outside the school and demanded that the school waive-off at least some percentage of the total fees owing to the current situation.

Parents assembled outside the school and demanded that the school waive-off at least some percentage of the total fees owing to the current situation.

“We have been requesting the school to reduce fees at least for the current year considering that many of us are struggling to pay fees due to pay cuts and jobs losses. We hope that the school takes note of our demands. We are just asking for a reduction in the overall fees,” said a parent of a Class 5 student from the school.

School officials said they were awaiting guidelines from the government in this regard. “Currently, the case concerning fee hikes by private schools is pending in the court and the matter is thus pending. We cannot decide to reduce fees in the absence of order either from the court or the education department. We have on the other hand allowed parents with genuine issues to pay in instalments and we have not even imposed a hike for the current year. Parents have been offered all the necessary support in this matter,” said Sunita Goenka, chairperson of the school’s governing body.

Meanwhile, parents have decided to approach the education department in this matter. “We are collectively going to request the department to intervene in this issue. We are ready to pay fees for tuition but demand a reduction in the other heads,” said a parent. An official from the state education department said that the department is yet to receive an official complaint in this matter.