Schools in Maharashtra seeking 30-35% Fee Hike, Parents Burned Out

Recently, 3 schools of Goregaon, sharing the same management declared 30-35% hike in fees which led to confrontation and uproar among the parents and guardians of the students since they consider they have not much choice to oppose it.

Parents of students studying in  Gokuldham High School objected of school asking for more money in the form of increase in fees, for the reserved seats of children to be made to study for free as per the RTE reservation quota, also, to give teachers increased pay  as per the Sixth Pay Commission. The parents told that government is to compensate for the reserved students studying for free under RTE act and they do not have to borne money for what the school justified.

The matter has been taken to the Forum for Fairness in Education by a group of Parents. The Principals of School were not available for comments even after repetitive attempts.

Likewise, the other two schools also hiked their fee and parents have raised issues as sudden 30% fee hike is too steep told student’s parent of Lakshdham High School, Goregaon (E).

Yashodham High School management also wished-for a 35% increased fee rate which PTA shot down. On the matter when Yashodham’s principal Chandrika Ragji was contacted, she refrained from commenting.

Parents under stress have reached to the Bombay high court along with the state child rights commission.

This June, Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Commission (MSCPCR) took suo motu cognizance of VPM International School, Airoli, which hiked student fees in between 30-60% for different classes and made it clear, either to pay fees or remove the admission of children from their school.

Earlier, the Supreme Court mentioned of private schools being free to set fee rates but cannot do for solely their own profit. It refused of the capitation fees as well, but they recognize of private’s schools right of free to allocate the amount of fees being a part of their constitutional rights.

The Civil society is giving a push to the state policy. In the previous year, the Forum for Fairness in Education created a number of protests to nudge the state government.

They said that many other states have their own policies for fee-hike but Maharashtra does not. Private schools are taking advantage of it since no body is there to question them and government is uninterested while parents are helpless on this matter, told Jayant Jain, a forum president.