SCHOOL FEE HIKE: PARENTS SIGN PETITIONS, DEMAND ACTION

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

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 and state level. The committee at the central level should be an appellate body,” she added.

Recently, state government had invited suggestions on amending the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fee) Act, 2011. It received 2,825 suggestions. The governmentappointed committee will now be examining suggestions and will give its report in this regard.