According to the petitioning parents, the fee was fixed at Rs 30,000 by the school management without the consent of the executive committee of the Parent Teacher Association (e-PTA). (Representational image)
The district fee regulation committee (DFRC) has termed the fee hike made by Dnyanganga English Medium School, Hingane Khurd, “illegal” and directed the school to “adjust” the excess fee into the accounts of students. On June 28, DFRC had called a hearing into the complaints of a group of parents against the management of the school for increasing school fee in 2015-16 and 2016-2017.
According to the petitioning parents, the fee was fixed at Rs 30,000 by the school management without the consent of the executive committee of the Parent Teacher Association (e-PTA).
The petitioners contended that all parents had unanimously objected to the fee hike and directed the school to follow due procedure, but the latter did not do so. The earlier fee was Rs 19,900.
In its claim, the school produced proof of meetings of the e-PTA in this regard. However, the DFRC order noted that the signatures of members of e-PTA were taken on a blank sheet of paper and were pasted on the attendance ledger later and hence the authencity of the document could not be verified. In its order dated July 20, the DFRC has restrained the school management from making any fee hike without adopting lawful procedure.
The management, however, has been allowed to put a fresh proposal before the e-PTA for next year’s fee hike in accordance to the law.
While repeated attempts to contact the school management failed, advocate Vinod Dharekar, who was representing all parents and is a parent of the school himself, said that parents were satisfied. “However the school should follow the DFRC’s order now,” he said.
