Prepare to file petitions, organise mass agitations across state

Refusing to accept the Bombay High Court's decision that gives private unaided schools a free hand to increase fees, NGOs and parents associations across the state plan to contest the ruling.

From filing petitions in the court to mass movements and hunger strikes, parents are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the government takes the issue of fee hike seriously.

Mumbai-based NGO Forum for Fairness in Education (FFE) filed a fresh petition in court yesterday to fight against unjust fee hikes in private unaided schools and charging of capitation fees.

"The HC has ruled that schools are allowed to hike fees but cannot profit. However, they haven't set an upper limit or specified how profiteering will be decided. Our petition will highlight rulings in other states where fee hikes in schools are regulated by the state in a systematic manner. We want the government to form a panel to ensure irrational fee is not collected. Capitation fee collected under the pretext of donations to the trust must also be stopped," said Jayant Jain, president of FFE.u00a0

Battle to the finish
FFE has also called for a state-wide agitation by parents within a fortnight where parents should come out on streets and expose the profiteering schools.

Ajay Sathe, representative of Rosary School Parents' Association, said they would heighten their protest after the unfavourable HC decision.

"Now we will remonstrate with the chief minister and protest at historical sites in the city. We don't mind even if we are arrested but we want the government to wake up. We are also planning a mass hunger strike if simple measures don't suffice," Sathe said.

A meeting will be held in Mumbai on Sunday where NGOs from all over the state will come together to discuss the problem of fee hike and organise protests.

"There is no point in filing a case. Even if we win, the school management will quote the current HC decision and increase fees. We want the government to introduce a law to regulate fee-hike and we will spare no efforts in doing that," said Arundhati Chavan, president of PTA United Forum.

Parents are however concerned about monitoring of fee structure in schools.u00a0

u00a0"There is no one to keep a tab on the schools; if the amount of fee they are increasing is actually profitable to them or not. We have to give in to their demands without knowing the truth," said Srikant Pawar, whose daughter studies at Modern English Medium School.

Another parent, Shweta Patnaik, whose daughter studies at SPM English School, said: "I think the HC should have recommended formation of a regulatory body to keep an eye on the schools. It wouldn't have affected the smooth running of schools and would have helped the parents."