Podar school management can't nike fees till better facilities offered: PTA

First, address our grievan­ces, and then talk about a fee hike, the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of Lilavati Podar High School has told the management. It had conducted a survey in which a number of facilities at the school were rated below 5 on a scale of 0 to 10, and now, parents want those looked into first.

The management has proposed a 7.5 per cent fee hike for the upcoming two academic years. As part of the fee review exercises, the PTA conducted a secret survey amongst parents in order to get a clear picture of their issues with respect to infrastructure and academic curriculum improvement - toilets, benches, air conditioners, library and educational trips. "Our issues aren't new; our children have been complaining about them for years," said a parent.

Another parent said, "Eve­ry year, in the fee review exercise, our demands are treated as mere formalities by the management. Hence, this year, PTA conducted the survey, to give more weight to our grievances. We want the PTA to approve a fee hike only if our demands are met."

The school, however, refuted parents' allegation. Pri­n­cipal Norina Fernandes said, "The school and the PTA have regular discussions on various topics. We will continue to interact with the PTA to offer the best to our kids."