Despite HC ruling, issue referred to fee regulatory body

Mumbai: Despite the Bombay high court having asked school management and parents to iron out issues by conducting joint hearings, the deputy director of education has referred parents’ complaints to the divisional fee regulation committee for resolution.

Parents of students of over 60 privately-run schools had complained to the deputy director of education, B.B. Chavan, about hike in fees.

Mr Chavan said, “We have been taking cognisance of this issue and we have also sent notices to school management. We are doing our work but it is a matter of time, and people can approach the divisional fee regulatory authority (DRA). Till now, school management has not approached us.”

Jayant Jain, president, forum for fairness in education, a Mumbai-based NGO that takes up issues with respect to fee hike, told The Asian Age, “These all are tactics employed by authorities. So far, no strict action has been initiated against the fee hike. Everyone is busy passing the buck.”

However, education minister Vinod Tawde said, “Parents of students in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur schools are facing the fee hike problem. I have appointed a retired judge committee to probe the matter, based on the Fee Regulation Act.”

“No school can force parents to buy books from the school campus. When it comes to CBSE and ICSE, as there are less vendors, I have requested school authorities to provide vendor details to parents,” he said.