Maharashtra education minister’s remarks on school fee hike creates confusion, say parents

Parents in Mumbai say Tawde’s recent statement that schools can increase fees only by 15% in two years goes against the school fee regulation law.

Caught in fee-hike row, Mumbai schools and parents are unable to find any relief in education minister Vinod Tawde’s stance on the matter. They said that Tawde’s recent statement that schools can increase fees only by 15% in two years goes against the school fee regulation law.

Parents and children protest against the exorbitant fee hike and collection of huge amount of un-approved and illegal fees by private schools at Azad maidan in Mumbai, India, on April 20, 2017. (Pratik Chorge/HT Photo)

According to the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Collection of Fee Regulation) Act, 2011, which was enforced from 2015, if the difference between fees decided by the management and approved by the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) executive committee is not more than 15%, then the fees approved by the PTA will be binding. But if it is more than 15%, management can approach divisional fee revision panels set up by the government.

SC Kedia, general secretary of the Unaided Schools Forum, said that the minister is unaware of the Act’s provisions. “The Act doesn’t bar increasing fees. As per the rules, fee disputes are be resolved between management and PTA,” said Kedia. “Misleading statements (by the minister) are creating a rift between schools and parents, and will disturb management of school fees.”

Despite this, Tawde maintained that his statement was in line with the fee regulation Act. When asked on what basis he made the statement, Tawde replied on text, “The school fee regulation Act, 2011.”