Pvt schools to challenge new fee hike

A new round of litigation is set to begin in the Bombay High Court...

A new round of litigation is set to begin in the Bombay High Court as private unaided schools are not willing to accept the new policy on fee hike.

Lawyer for Unaided Schools Forum today told the High Court that his clients would withdraw the petition challenging an earlier Government Resolution and file a fresh one.

Last year,government had frozen the fee hikes in private schools after some parents’ organisation protested.

This was challenged,and High Court stayed this order. Later,government appointed Kumud Bansal committee to study the issue.

Bansal committee report favoured private schools who hold that they have full autonomy to decide their fees.

But the latest GR,issued by school education and sports department,”gives a go-by” to Bansal report,said advocate Navroz Seerwai,petitioners’ lawyer,today.

The GR says that private schools will have to submit their fee hike proposals to a committee formed by director of education for scrutiny.

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Private schools contend that following Supreme Court decisions in T M A Pai case,government has no powers to regulate fees in unaided institutions.

The latest GR will come into effect from August 15,and schools are expected to move the court anew before that.