Kalyan school hikes fees by 66 percent, kicks 30 kids out for protesting

Kalyan school issued them Leaving Certificates stating that the students had not paid fees, which has left other schools unwilling to give them admission

As many as 30 children are struggling to get admission in school because of the vindictive actions of D S Desai school in Kalyan, after a tussle with their parents over recent fee hikes. The students were kicked out of school in March and were Leaving Certificates (LC) with negative remarks, ensuring that no other school was willing to give them admission.

After the students and their parents staged a protest at the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) education department yesterday, the civic authorities have now formed a team to probe the matter. The team is scheduled to visit the school today. Meanwhile, the mayor has also demanded that the school's licence be revoked for its actions.

Parents say
One of the parents Sakina Shaikh said, "We have been fighting against the illegal fee hike for a long time. Our children are suffering even though they are innocent. They were given LC because we did not pay the fee hike."

She added, "The school kept increasing the fees for two consecutive years, which is against the rules. We opposed this move, but the school did not respond, so we stopped paying the fees. Then the school just gave our kids LCs, which state that we have not paid the fees. Because of this, it has become difficult for our children to seek admission elsewhere."

According to the parents, the they were paying Rs 12,000 per month in 2016-17, which was hiked to R15,000 in 2017-18, and has now inflated to R20,000. This is an over 66 per cent hike in two years. JJ Tadvi, education officer at KDMC, said, "We have received several complaints from parents about the fee hike. We wrote to the school stating that their move to give leaving certificates to the students was wrong. Students should not suffer in this fight. An inquiry committee has been formed that will visit the school on Friday and look into the matter."

The other side
Effie Ferrao, principal at DSD school was unavailable for comment. A spokesperson for the school said, "We cannot admit students who do not pay fees, and that too for two years."

Rs 12k
Fees two years ago

Rs 20k
Current fees

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!