Civic officer asked to probe Thane school’s ‘illegal’ PTA

The action followed a complaint filed by Ravi Krishnamurthy, a guardian of two girls studying in the school, along with four other parents.

Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights on Tuesday directed the Thane Municipal Corporation’s (TMC) education officer to investigate a matter where New Horizon School allegedly formed its parent teacher association (PTA) without following the rules laid down under the Maharashtra Educational Institution Fees (Regulation) Act.

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The action followed a complaint filed by Ravi Krishnamurthy, a guardian of two girls studying in the school, along with four other parents.

“The school management set up the PTA at their discretion and did not send any prior notice to parents. They did not even collect the mandatory ₹50 from each parent. Besides, the committee comprises more teachers than parents,” the complaint said.

Refuting the allegations, Jyoti Nair, school’s regional director, said, “The school management respects law and follows all procedures. We have received the notice and will file our reply.”

Nitin Dalvi from Maharashtra State Student Parent Education Federation said, “Many parents do not know the selection process for the PTA. The school administration arbitrarily selects the parents without following the due process. It is a welcome move by the commission, and we now request the TMC education officer to soon probe this matter and submit a report.”