Angry about Mumbai school fee hike? Give missed call, tell on WhatsApp: NGO to 22 L parents

The Forum for Fairness in Education, a parents and teachers body, which has been fighting for education issues, plans to send bulk messages to 22 lakh parents across the city

After a low turnout at last month’s protest against fee hike, Mumbai parents have started a missed call and WhatsApp campaign to garner support for their agitation on May 21.

Parents are hoping that they will be able to put pressure on the government to take action against fee hikes. (File)

The Forum for Fairness in Education, a parents and teachers body, plans to send bulk messages to 22 lakh parents across the city.

“Friends, we are fighting for your rights so that your children can get better education at reasonable fees. Don’t you think your participation will make huge difference,” read the messages being circulated.

A missed call campaign started on Monday.

Parents can give a missed call on 02230256822 to show their solidarity to the cause. A report on the number of calls received will be sent to the education department.

By Monday evening, the number reportedly received around 502 missed calls

Parents are hoping that they will be able to put pressure on the government to take action against fee hikes.

“These steps are being taken to ensure more people come for the protest,” said Jayant Jain, president of the Forum for Fairness.

Jain said that the protest on April 20 had failed to create an impact – it had watered down to parents shouting slogans for a few hours at Azad Maidan – as they didn’t get the permission to observe an indefinite hunger strike.

Parents have sent letters to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and education minister Vinod Tawde to ensure the Maharashtra Educational Institutions Collection of Fee Regulation Act, 2011 is enforced strictly.

Last week, the government appointed an expert committee to review the existing fee regulation act and suggest amendments to.it. But parents feel this is a delaying tactic. “ Amending the Act will take few years. There will be indiscriminate fee hikes if the government allows the present act to be enforced,” said Jain.

‘Schools should disclose expenditures’

While Maharashtra’s schools and parents are locked in fee-hike disputes, an education think tank has asked the government to make it mandatory for schools to disclose all their expenses to justify the fee structure. The hike should not be more than 13% based on the expenses, and schools which cannot afford this, should be taken over by other organisations or the government, the group has recommended. 

On Monday, Pune-based SYSCOM, an NGO which moved the Bombay high court against flaws in the online admission process last year, submitted a 55-page report to the state school education department on suggestions to bring in transparency to the fee structure at educational institutes. 

One of the suggestions is that schools increasing their fees should show their balance sheets, reveal expenses to parents’ teachers associations (PTA) and also make them available online so that parents can see it. Personal account numbers (PAN) and the organisation’s registration numbers should be printed on fee-receipts, it recommends. 

This is similar to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)’s order last year, asking schools to disclose the fee structures on their website. “Schools are registered as charitable institutions and should not indulge in profiteering,” said Vaishali Bafna, member of SYSCOM. She added that merely putting up the fee-structure will not help parents. “Schools must be asked to prove to parents that the hike is necessary and what the money will be used for,” she said. 

Another recommendation is to form state and district-level panels that will verify the school’s claims. These panels can be asked to pay surprise visits to schools to check if their infrastructure and facilities indeed match the fees charged. “Someone needs to check the veracity of the institute’s claims. Schools often charge high fees, but it doesn’t reflect on the quality of education offered,” said Bafna. 

Their demands

Stop selling books, uniforms, stationery & other school essentials in school or through an agent

A CAG audit of all schools, no fee hike till then

Prescribe limit for all fees such as security deposit, admission fee, activities fee, laboratory & library fee, among others

Bring transparency in PTA elections.