Regulation of school fees: Parents to take legal route

VADODARA: Parents who are agitated with the state government's alleged failure on the implementation of the Gujarat Self-Financed School (Regulation Fees) Act 2017, have decided to take legal route to ensure that fees charged by private schools across the state reduces.
On Sunday morning, a large number of parents convened a meeting at Kamatibaug to chalk out their next course of action.

The Vadodara District Parents Association has decided that it will have a small sub-committee to spearhead action. This sub-committee will have individual members who will be assigned the task of seeking permissions to stage agitations or protest programmes, handle legal matters and deal with other aspects.

"We have decided that we will give in writing our demands to the fee regulatory committee, police commissioner, district collector, district education officer and copies of the same will be submitted in the Gujarat High Court in the form of affidavits," said advocate Kishore Pillai.

Parents from each school will submit affidavits in the Gujarat High Court during the hearing of the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a petitioner and city-based social worker P K Mukhopadyaya.

The next hearing of the PIL in the High Court is scheduled on December 27.

"Through the petition, we have requested the High Court to issue directive to the state education department to strictly adhere to the terms and conditions of the Act which have been grossly violated by 40-odd schools in Vadodara and others in Gujarat," said Pillai.