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Pune’s Vibgyor school officials deny allegations of ‘illegal’ fee hike
Parents said that the fee hike by the school, according to them, was in violation of the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fee) Act, 2011.
After a Rs 2 lakh fine was imposed on Vibgyor High school’s Magarpatta branch by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Tuesday for illegally hiking school fees, the school management has responded strongly against the move. The school spokesperson informed that the school does not concede to any of the claims of violation and that the step to fine them was in violation of natural justice.
Earlier, parents of students studying in Vibgyor High school tasted victory after four years of agitation against the illegal fee hike at the school. The fee hike by the school, according to them, was in the violation of the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fee) Act, 2011. As per the Fee Regulation Act, schools can hike the fees once in two years and not exceeding 15 per cent. Vibgyor, one the other hand, was alleged to have flouted the rules and that too, without the consent of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA).
“All and any fees charged or revised are in accordance with law and the orders passed by the Bombay high court. The claims of the school violating any rule whatsoever is baseless,” said the Vibgyor spokesperson in a mail.
As a step to resolve the issue raised by the parents, the deputy director of education, Dinkar Temkar, issued the fine after having reviewed the report by the administrative officer of the education board of PMC, which proved the violation of the Fee Regulation Act 2011 and its amendments in 2016. The school now has to deposit Rs 2 lakh as fine to the education office (primary), Pune zilla parishad.
Responding to the step, the Vibgyor spokesperson added, “The notice issued by the deputy director of education, Pune division, is in violation of the principles of natural justice and in contempt of the orders passed by Bombay high court.”
