Parents complain against PTAS over fees

MUMBAI:AS the pandemic and the resultant financial loss led to parents urging several private schools to reduce their fees, parent teacher associations (PTA), which are expected to help parents address their grievances, are posing as obstacles.

Several parents said that even as a large number of them had urged the school management to reduce fees, PTA had not spoken in their favour. “We have been urging parent representatives on the PTA executive committee to put our issues in front of the management, but they seem to be in favour of the school. In fact, the school has also used many of those members against parents to threaten them to pay full fees,” said the parent of a south Mumbai-based school which recently discontinued online classes for students whose parents have requested a cut in the fees.

After several requests in this regard were sent from parents of private schools to the government, state education minister Varsha Gaikwad had said the school PTA can recommend a fee reduction as per the rules.

Arundhati Chavan, president of the PTA United Forum, said the apathy of several parents to be a part of the PTA is a key factor that allows private schools to act as per their whims.

Meanwhile, parents from several schools said the PTA had not been formed as per the due process. “There are many schools where elections to PTA don’t take place and people close to school management get appointed as parent representatives,” said Anubha Sahai, president of the Indiawide Parents Association.

Education commissioner Vishal Solanki said, “We cannot comment as the matter is subjudice.”