Mumbai: School couriers leaving certificate to 30 class I students over ‘unpaid fees’
Vinamrata Borwankar | TNN | Updated: Apr 22, 2019, 09:02 IST
Representative imageMUMBAI: Parents of over 30 class I students from Rustomjee Troopers School in Dahisar were in for a shock on Saturday when the leaving certificate was couriered to them for non-payment of fees. The parents have been involved in a wrangle with the school over the fees issue for more than a year.
According to the parents, the school has been hiking fees by 10% every year and the jump in fees between Sr.Kg and class I was approximately 38%. The parents have also paid a non-refundable deposit of Rs 50,000 at the time of admission. For the past one year, the parents have knocked at the doors of the education department and education minister, Vinod Tawde, for redressal.
“We last met Tawde in March and he had assured us action. He had also warned the school not to expel our children over this issue unless a conclusion was reached. The BMC education department had also sent a notice to the school asking them not to forcibly issue leaving certificates to children.
“In spite of this, nearly 30 of us were couriered the leaving certificate on Saturday. The school began threatening the
parents by giving the LC to a few students last week. The school is calling each parent and asking them to pay fees in cash if we want the child to continue in the school,” said a parent.
The reason mentioned on the leaving certificate is “fees not paid”.
School authorities said they were following the rule book. In an email response to TOI, school principal, Chaya Rangnekar said, “The school is following the rules laid down in the Maharashtra Education Institution (Regulation of Fee) Act, 2011. The fee proposal was placed before the PTA Executive Committee, and the same was duly approved and accepted by them. There has been no complaint from the PTA Executive Committee members to date.”
The school also cited an order of the Bombay HC which upholds the rights of unaided school managements to cancel the admission of students whose fees have not been paid. “The parents were made aware of the above order, and were given many reminders…This implies a deliberate and conscious action on their part. The school is left with no other alternative but to issue the Leaving Certificate,” said the principal.
According to the parents, the school has been hiking fees by 10% every year and the jump in fees between Sr.Kg and class I was approximately 38%. The parents have also paid a non-refundable deposit of Rs 50,000 at the time of admission. For the past one year, the parents have knocked at the doors of the education department and education minister, Vinod Tawde, for redressal.
“We last met Tawde in March and he had assured us action. He had also warned the school not to expel our children over this issue unless a conclusion was reached. The BMC education department had also sent a notice to the school asking them not to forcibly issue leaving certificates to children.
“In spite of this, nearly 30 of us were couriered the leaving certificate on Saturday. The school began threatening the
parents by giving the LC to a few students last week. The school is calling each parent and asking them to pay fees in cash if we want the child to continue in the school,” said a parent.
The reason mentioned on the leaving certificate is “fees not paid”.
School authorities said they were following the rule book. In an email response to TOI, school principal, Chaya Rangnekar said, “The school is following the rules laid down in the Maharashtra Education Institution (Regulation of Fee) Act, 2011. The fee proposal was placed before the PTA Executive Committee, and the same was duly approved and accepted by them. There has been no complaint from the PTA Executive Committee members to date.”
The school also cited an order of the Bombay HC which upholds the rights of unaided school managements to cancel the admission of students whose fees have not been paid. “The parents were made aware of the above order, and were given many reminders…This implies a deliberate and conscious action on their part. The school is left with no other alternative but to issue the Leaving Certificate,” said the principal.
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