Parents protest fee hike by Thane school

The parents of students of Rainbow High School in Brahmand, Thane, staged a silent protest march to the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) headquarters on Wednesday to protest against the school management’s arbitrary fee hikes. On its part, the school management claims that fee hike is school policy and all parents are aware of this.

Around 50 parents met the civic chief and submitted a letter with their primary grievance – the recent 15-20% fee hike. The hike is an injustice as it breaks household budgets, the parents complained.

“Last year also they had increased the fees, which is against the rules, as this is the second consecutive year they have done so. Also, without the PTA’s approval, fees cannot be hiked. We approached the TMC as the school did not respond to our woes,” said the parents of a Class 3 student.

“Parents had approached us, we have assured them of a joint hearing where the school representatives will be present and the fee hike issue will be settled amicably. We will ensure that the hike has been within the framework of the rules and the fees charged are within proportion of the facilities offered by the school,” said, Maneesh Joshi, TMC deputy municipal commissioner, education department.

Rainbow School Principal Supriti Katkar says, “Fees have been charged as per school policy. During the time of admission, parents were informed about the fee structure. We have not increased the fees by 20%. The hike justifies the facilities provided by the school. We have not kept parents in the dark is all that I can say”.