Schools up in arms over fee reduction rule

Management associations mull legal action against government’s blanket order asking them to reduce fees by 15 per cent

School managements are up in arms against the government’s decision to introduce a 15 per cent reduction in fees. While School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad has made the announcement, schools are yet to get a notification from the government. However, management associations have already decided to move court, as according to them such a blanket rule is unfair.

President of the Independent English Schools Association (IESA), Rajendra Singh, said, “There are several types of schools catering to children coming from different backgrounds. Having such a blanket rule is certainly unfair. Especially in the case of budget schools, where fee-recovery is not more than 50 per cent of the normal capacity due to the pandemic. A blanket reduction in fees will make survival difficult for schools.”

Parents of children studying in a Dadar school gather outside the institution to protest the management’s decision to stop online classes for not paying fees. File pic

Talking about the unjustified nature of the decision, Singh added, “When you already have a Fee Regulation Act under which schools decide their fee structures along with the parents, having a regulation like this is contradictory in nature. More so, there are willful defaulters among parents who have the ability to pay fees but will not. In such cases there should be directives for actions. Government’s focus should also be on the survival of schools.” Singh shared that the association was waiting for the notification before deciding on the legal course of action.

Another school management association, Maharashtra English School Trustees Association (MESTA) also plans to move court. President of the association, Sanjayrao Tayade Patil said, “It appears that the state government wants to put up a show by taking this decision, as it is leading to more problems than resolving them. There are so many parents who are not facing financial issues, why should they be included in this blanket rule? More so, MESTA earlier declared a 25 per cent reduction in fee for parents who are going through a difficult financial phase. This blanket rule reduces the discount being given to them. We will never accept this decision and will move court if required.”

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