Panel to structure school fee regulator

Vikhe-Patil said the committee will include representatives of NGOs working in the sector and eminent educationalists besides government officials.

It may be recalled that many secondary schools in the state had raised their fees from Rs 2,000 to 8,000 last month,citing various reasons. The parents were up in arms against the hikes and they had argued that the raise was not justifiable when most industries and IT companies have declared salary cuts and lay-offs. Taking cognisance of the argument,the state government had announced the setting up of a regulatory body to keep a tab on the fee hikes. However,educationalists said the fee regulatory body will,in fact,help increase fees.

Devisinh Shekhavat,president of Maharashtra State Confederation of Managements of Educational Institutes,had openly said last week that the school fees will continue to go up every year,based on the schools’ balance sheets,much on the lines of the Shikshan Shulka Samiti appointed to decide the fee structure of engineering and medical courses.