ankita.bhatkhande@htlive.com
With the increasing number of complaints related to fee hikes in private schools across the state, a Pune-based lawyer has created an online database to make parents more aware about the law with respect to fees hike.
The database comprises laws, policy decisions and specific provisions with respect to school fees to help parents with their complaints. The website – www.jaihindbks.com – enlists all the state and Central regulations on fees with specific references to provisions under the acts that can be invoked against private schools charging indiscriminately against various heads.
“Over the last few years, with the increase in the number of English medium private schools in the state, fee hike-related complaints have become very common. In most cases, schools try to take advantage of the fact that parents are not aware of the laws that are in place and mint money,” said Siddharth Shankar Sharma, the creator of the database. The 33-year-old said that while many parents understand that the school is flouting norms, they do not have the necessary legal knowledge to file a complaint or move court.
Prasad Tulaskar, a parent who has been fighting a case with a Dadar school said that mere protests and demonstrations do not yield into any concrete change in the school’s stand. “Instead, a simple right to information (RTI) query or a letter to the state education department or the child rights commission would lead to schools thinking twice before charging parents under abrupt heads,” said Tulaskar.
The website also has past court orders on fee hike cases of various schools across the states for parents to refer to. “We have tried to simplify the laws for parents who cannot afford lawyers to fight their cases,” said Sharma.
Some of the provisions under which parents can lodge a complaint:
-Right to Education Act, 2008
-Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fee) Act, 2011
-Maharashtra Prohibition of Capitation Fee Act, 1987 .
First Published: Oct 21, 2018 18:26 IST
