MUMBAI: Due to the implementation of various pay commissions over the last 12 years, school fees have gone up by almost 300 to 400%. Many private unaided institutions have taken undue advantage of parents. The maximum fee hike due to implementation of the Pay Commission was up is 50% for one academic year only, but many schools grabbed this opportunity and misled parents by increasing their fees almost every year.
Hundreds of complaints were lodged with the education department and the Forum for Fairness in Education (FEE). There were cases where signatures taken for attending a Parent-Teachers' Association (PTA) meeting were used and treated as an approval for a fee hike. In some schools, bogus PTA elections were held, and those 'elected' were chosen by the members of school management bodies. Around 70% of schools do not even have a lawful PTA body. And many international schools flouted government rules while forming parent-teachers' association.
Often, parents had no choice but to pay these exorbitant fees. Those who try to object are targeted, and their children harassed or victimized by the school management.
Schools started collecting various fees under different heads: such as an admission fee of up to Rs 2-5 lakh; security deposit of around Rs 3 lakh, building funds up to Rs 1 lakh, school essentials up to Rs 90,000; activity and hobby fees amounting to as much as Rs 50,000. Then there are additional maintenance charges, audio visual fees, computer laboratory fees, laboratory charges, school funds, annual day charges, picnic and transport fees, etc. They also made it made it compulsory for parents to purchase stationery, books and uniforms from the school itself-at almost three times the market price. In short, these schools try their best to exploit parents. I know of a suburban school that charges a fee of Rs 14 lakh at the nursery level.
The lack of unity among parents have encouraged schools to do this. The forum played a vital role in checking and bring some control on fee hikes by holding signature campaigns, protesting government inaction, lodging complaints with various authorities, filing PILs in the HC, and so on. The education system has been commercialized across India.
A few states, namely Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat have brought some control on fees by not only introducing statutory laws but strongly and successfully fighting the matter in the HC and apex courts when challenged by school management bodies. The government of Maharashtra, however, has yet to take action. We propose that there be an upper limit or ceiling on the collection of maximum fees by unaided schools, or this exploitation will continue.
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