Move on school fee hike raises eyebrows

A GR issued on May 8,2009 after parents complained about unreasonable fee hike in schools across the state and moved the HC had said fee could not be increased without the permission of a proposed fee regulatory committee. “If any school hikes fees from the academic year 2009-10 without permission of the said committee,it would lose its recognition,” it had said.

The new GR on February 23 said: “The honourable High Court ordered on December 10,2009 that the GR issued on May 8,2009 should be kept in abeyance till the final order. The government is thus staying the GR issued on May 8,2009 as per the court order.”

“Though it is true the HC had ordered a stay on the previous GR,why did the government react so late?” Jayant Jain of the Forum for Fairness in Education said. “The timing of the new GR suggests the government is helping school managements to continue with their fee hikes made in 2009-10,as the academic year has come to an end.”

Besides issuing the GR on May 8,2009,the government had formed the Kumud Bansal Committee to guide it on fee regulation. Jain said the HC had asked the government to discuss the recommendations of the Bansal committee with NGOs and prescribe a schedule for setting up a fee regulatory committee by January 25.

“The government kept buying time and postponed the decision to set up a fee regulatory committee. In the latest hearing in the High Court on February 10,the government again filed an affidavit saying it would come up with district-wise statutory fee regulation committees in eight weeks,” he said.

“It is clear from the government move that it is not serious about fee regulation. NGOs are planning a statewide agitation on March 11 against government inaction,” said Milind Wagh of a form opposing the Bansal Committee.

State School Education Minister Balasaheb Thorat was not available for comment.