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No change in school fees despite online classes, parents allege
As admissions for the new academic year resume, many parents allege that schools have either maintained the same fees from last year or hiked it despite online education induced by Covid-19 restrictions
As admissions for the new academic year resume, many parents allege that schools have either maintained the same fees from last year or hiked it despite online education induced by Covid-19 restrictions.
Parents have alleged that various charges for amenity, transportation and snacks are also included in the fee for students. However, like last year, this year as well schools will mostly function online.
Speaking about the amenity charges, a Pune-based parent said that the school has charged ₹7,000 annually for snacks.
“As online classes are ongoing, why does the school need to charge for snacks and transport? The student will not be using them anyways. During this pandemic, the fee hike is not justified as parents are struggling financially. We understand that our schools are good, but schools should also understand the situation of parents,” said a parent.
Another parent of two daughters in kindergarten and nursery said that the fee hike for nursery has schools has been around 25 per cent.
“As compared to last year, the fee hike is more than 25 per cent. The tuition fee, admission fee and the deposit has been increased. The deposit has been increased from ₹10,000 to ₹30,000. The admission fee was around ₹10,000 which is not ₹15,000 whereas the tuition fee was ₹65,000 which is now ₹72,000,” said the parent.
The parent noted that the fee hike for nursery during online academic year is not justified at all.
Rajendra Singh, president of Independent English Medium School Association (IESA) said that schools have maintained the fee structure from last year.
“Even though the cost for online education has increased, many schools have maintained the fee structure from last year. This year, parents and teachers both agree that students should not lose out on learning during online education. We have to provide teachers with laptops and schools have to involve a third party for assessing students and evaluating them. These are costs incurred by schools. Despite that, schools have not increased fees,” said Singh.
He added that students need to be disciplined during the online classes to avoid learning loss.
“Students should wear their uniforms and not be disturbed when online lectures are going on. If the video of the child is not on, then how can the teacher check if the child is attentive? This leads to learning loss of the child and hence it is important to discipline the child,” said Singh.
In March this year, the Bombay high court (HC) vacated the stay on the government resolution (GR) that restrained schools from hiking fees for the academic year of 2020-21 in view of the pandemic.
However, the HC said the state may initiate action against a school in case of complaints from parents or even take suo moto action in case of alleged exploitation by a school.
The bench also directed the state to address complaints of parents or take suo moto action against schools that violated the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fee) (MEIR) Act. It also restrained schools from taking coercive actions like expulsion or not being allowed to attend classes, against students whose parents had lodged complaints.
