Future of Mumbai school students at stake as education department's order is ign

The standoff between parents of Garodia International School in Ghatkopar over the hike in school fees is likely to continue as the latter has refused to follow the orders of the state

Parents of students from Garodia International School, Ghatkopar seen outside Mantralaya. FILE PIC

The standoff between parents of Garodia International School in Ghatkopar over the hike in school fees is likely to continue as the latter has refused to follow the orders of the state.

On April 28, the Mantralaya in its order had mentioned that the school couldn't force students to pay any excess fees for shifting students from the old building to the New IGCSE premises. The next day, parents met BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and addressed their grievances.

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"We hoped that Somaiya would ask the school to follow the government's order. But, instead, he told us to opt for a middle path by considering the school's expenses as well," alleged Biju Nambiar, a parent.

The parents claimed that talks with school director Nishant Garodia also did not yield any results.

"When we approached the director, he denied receiving any notice from the education department. He also said that our children would not get admission in the new school premises with the old fee structure," alleged Bhavin Shah, another parent.

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Last week too, the parents had sent a written complaint to education department Vinod Tawade. "We are still not sure in which building our child is likely to get admission. We want the state education department to ensure we get justice. They can't abandon us now," said parent Jigna Lodaria.

When contacted, Anil Sable, education inspector of North Zone, confirmed that the school had refused to follow its orders. "They said students following the old-fee structure will be admitted to the old building," said Sable.

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Meanwhile, the school has denied receiving any such order. "We didn't receive any order, so the question of refuting it doesn't arise," Garodia, director of the school said.

Somaiya was unavailable for comment.

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