School fee hike issues resurface: Parents sign online petitions, demand action

With a large number of complaints concerning fee-related issues mainly including the ones related to fee hikes remaining unresolved, parents from the state have now resorted to signing online petitions

With a large number of complaints concerning fee-related issues mainly including the ones related to fee hikes remaining unresolved, parents from the state have now resorted to signing online petitions.

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Over the last few days, parents from different parts of the state have signed petitions urging the government to address the issues of fee hikes in private schools.

Recently, a group of parents from the city started a petition urging the Maharashtra government to reduce school fees by 50% during the pandemic, as the overall cost of operations have reduced due to school closures.

“Parents have been protesting against exorbitant and unjustified fees charged by the schools for the year 2020-21 and 2021-22. They have lodged several complaints with the statutory authorities, met the education minister many times to get some concession in fees, but except false promises, nothing has been done till date,” said Jayant Jain, president of the Forum for Fairness in Education, a parents organisation that started the petition. So far, it has been signed by nearly 6,000 parents.

Anubha Sahai, president of the Indiawide Parents Association said the Central government can have a comprehensive policy concerning private school fees. The government should come up with an amendment in the Right to Education (RTE) Act and include a provision for the regulation of fees. It should appoint a committee at the central level (Central fee regulatory committee) and state level (state fee regulatory committee). The committee at the central level should be an appellate body,” she added.

A petition demanding the same which was started in 2018 is now doing the rounds on parent groups and is being re-endorsed by parents.

Recently, the Maharashtra government had invited suggestions on amending the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fee) Act, 2011. It received 2,825 suggestions, the majority of which are from parents. The government-appointed committee will now be examining the suggestions and will later give its report in this regard.

A government resolution released on May 8, 2020, stated that schools should stay all fee hikes for the current academic year and have to allow parents to pay fees in instalments. The GR was, however, stayed by the Bombay high court on June 26, 2020, in response to a petition by several organisations of private school owners. The court lifted the stay in March this year and said that the state may initiate action against a school in case of complaints from parents or even take suo motu cognizance.