Schools to protest over fee issue, want govt to clear dues

Nagpur: Around 300 schools in Nagpur may stop online classes on July 4-5 to protest against what they term is the “state’s inaction” over the fee issue. RTE Foundation, an association which primarily raises issues related to budget schools in Maharashtra, has also planned a protest in Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on those same days.
Sachin Kalbande, founder-president of the association, said, “Our members from various districts in the state shall be part of the protest in Mumbai and their schools will remain closed in solidarity to the cause. In Nagpur district, around 300 of our school members will remain shut on Monday and Tuesday.”
Kalbande alleged that the government is shying away from its duties towards both, parents and schools. “In my letter to the education department I will be citing a 2010 Supreme Court order in which it’s clearly mentioned that providing education is the state government’s responsibility. Now that parents are either unable or unwilling to pay fees, the state government must step in to clear their dues,” said Kalbande.
He based his argument on the RTE reimbursement norms. “Just like the government reimburses us for free admissions under RTE quota, the same thing should be done for all students. Budget schools barely charge any fee, so we are the worst hit. We are not like the big brand schools with hefty fees and fancy infrastructure who are sitting on a pile of cash,” said Kalbande.
He added that the friction between schools, parents and the education department will continue to increase unless government intervenes with policy changes. “We are in such dire financial condition that unless state resolves the fee issue, many will have to shut down. If thousands of our budget schools shut down across Maharashtra, where will the students go. Does the government have the capacity to absorb so many students in their schools?” said Kalbande.
The cold letter war between education department and schools has also increased — something which was rare earlier. Up until now, schools would barely engage with the education department in an acrimonious way. TOI was shown two letters by separate schools which responded to the education department’s notice over the fee issue. Both schools, one of them affiliated to CBSE, countered all charges aggressively.
One school mentioned that it gave parents a few months to approach them and show proof of their financial inability to pay fees, but out of the over 500 parents only 20-odd came.
A trustee of a budget school said, “Our schools charge an average of Rs25,000 per year. With such low fee recovery it will be difficult to pay salaries and continue operations. Don’t be surprised if schools start shutting down from Diwali onwards.”