NAGPUR, JANUARY 10: The controversy over fee hike by the Central Board schools in city has raised its head again, with the high profile Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan deciding to hike tuition fees for all standards from January 2000.
A section of parents have strongly condemned what they term as “indiscriminate” fee hike and have threatened to launch an agitation and also to approach High Court against the decision.
The school management decided to hike fees from January 2000, which is midway of the third term of the current academic session. The management has cited implementation of recommendations of fifth pay commission for the staff of the school as reason for the hike.
The hike in the tuition fees comes to about 40 per cent and the yearly difference will be between Rs 1,940 for the pre-primary students to Rs 3,096 for XI and XII standard students. In a circular dated December 20, 1999, the management had asked the parents to pay the difference in fees for the month of January and to pay the hiked fees with effect from February 2000.
A group of parents has said that the hike is illegal as the management should have sought permission from the State Government before its implementation.
THE CONTROVERSY: The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is not the first school to be embroiled in fee hike controversy. The issue made it big at the commencement of the academic session 1999-2000, when the local Modern School, another Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliate decided to hike tuition fees to the extent of about 40 per cent.
Parents took serious note of the hike and launched an agitation, which even took serious turn with the parents deciding to keep the children away and locking the gate of the school. After several days of stalemate, the parents’ association took the case to High Court. Although the case is yet to be decided, Justice Sabharwal of Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court issued an order staying hike in admission, computer and term fees.
The second school involved in the controversy was the Sandipani School, where the management demanded a considerable sum as extra deposit amount. With a section of parents refusing to abide by the “illegal” demand, the school management decided to close the school down. It was following a high drama and a big meeting of parents, that the parents bowed down to the management’s demand. The school was then reopened.