Mumbai: Over 300 Borivali parents raise concerns over steep, uneven fee hikes at Witty School

Parents say students in the same class are being charged different fees. Representation pic/istock

Over 300 parents of Witty School students in Borivali have voiced concerns over steep and uneven fee hikes, with some increases reportedly ranging between 60 per cent and 100 per cent when children move from Sr KG to Std I.

Parents allege that children studying in the same class are being charged different fees. "Initial complaints to the school principal went unresolved, and meetings with the Deputy Country Director revealed that the primary and secondary schools are treated as separate entities, which was cited as justification for higher fees. These details were mentioned only in fine print during admissions. We were verbally assured that the hike would be around 40 per cent, but in reality, it went up to 100 per cent for some parents," a parent said. Parents also allege a lack of transparency. "There is no transparency, no mention of fee structures on the website, nor notice boards," said another parent.

Seeking redress, the parents met Borivali MLA Sanjay Upadhyay, who wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Education Minister Dada Bhuse. In his letter, Upadhyay flagged arbitrary fee hikes allegedly in violation of the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Fees Regulation) Act, 2011, and the constitutional principle of equality, urging a probe and revocation of the school's no-objection certificate (NOC). Education department officials confirmed action will be taken. mid-day tried to reach out to school authorities, but received no response.

"In Maharashtra, fees can be regulated by getting approval from the PTA executive committees after verifying all documents presented by the school. Typically, a fee hike is permitted up to 15 per cent in two years, depending upon the surplus a school has, and after they show proper justification. Moreover, apart from RTE pupils, the act also calls for all students to be charged a uniform fee," said Adv Anubha Sahai, president, India-wide parents' association.

Parents demand

>> Fee hikes regulated as per government norms
>> Transparency for students in the same class
>> Clear 10-year fee progression