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Education News

preciated. It is pertinent to note that approved by the PTA EC, school
Punjab matches Kerala’s record of managements are permitted to
remaining at the top in education de- appeal to DFRCs. In July 2017,
velopment rankings for many years,” the Bombay high court affirmed
says Singla. that “parents disgruntled about
Even as politicians trade charges school fees cannot approach
and counter-charges about PGI DFRC”. However on the court’s
2019-20, academics in Delhi, Punjab order, the government consti-
and elsewhere are deriving quiet tuted an 11-member committee
satisfaction that education — a non- under the chairmanship of edu-
issue in most election campaigns cationist V.G. Palshikar, which
— is receiving greater attention in recommended changes to allow
political slugfests. parents to appeal to DFRC in
Autar Nehru (Delhi) Sahai: government apathy charge some circumstances. The panel
also recommended that school
MAHARASHTRA fees and annual fee increases neces- managements be allowed a 15 percent
Fees regulation sary to adjust for inflation. Several Su- fee hike every two years and the right
preme Court judgements of the 1970s,
to appeal to DFRC, if the hike is not
imbroglio the heyday of Indian socialism when approved by the school’s PTA EC.
In 2018, however, the state’s then
the apex court was packed with left
and communist judges, prohibited ruling BJP-Shiv Sena government
espite a may 3 judgement of “commercialisation of education”. (voted to power in October 2014)
the Supreme Court in Indian Since then, these judgements have introduced several amendments to
DSchool Jodhpur & Ors vs. provoked a flood of litigation in the the Act that have riled parents. For
State Government of Rajasthan in country’s choked courts. instance the amended Act allows
which the apex court ruled that the The hostility of parents’ commu- parents to challenge fee hikes only if
right to determine private school fees nities towards the managements of more than 25 percent of the total par-
is of “management alone,” on June private schools has increased over ents’ body is against the increased fee.
7, the Maharashtra coalition govern- the past 15 months during which they The new provisions also allow school
ment announced the formation of five have been ordered to shut down be- managements to increase fees by 15
Divisional Fee Regulatory Committees cause of the outbreak of the Covid-19 percent every two years and declare
(DFRCs) for Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, pandemic. A majority of parents fees for the next five-ten years when
Nagpur and Aurangabad districts. An- across the state have refused to pay a child is admitted into class I, thus
other three divisional committees and full fees for their children attending undermining the role of the PTA EC
an appellate committee to hear school online classes provided by private in fee-related decisions. Even as par-
fees-related disputes are on the cards. schools. ent bodies across the state continued
DFRCs have been established under In June 2020, the Bombay high to protest these amendments, the
provisions of the Maharashtra Educa- court stayed a state government or- amended Act was passed in August
tional Institutions (Regulation of Fee) der of May 8, 2020 directing private 2019.
Act, 2011. schools to refrain from increasing arent associations across the
Justifying this initiative, Maha- fees for 2020-21 and continue charg- Pstate want all these amendments
rashtra’s education minister Varsha ing fee as per the previous academic scrapped and replaced with a set of
Gaikwad tweeted that “discouraging year. The court was responding to a eight new amendments. They have
commercialisation and profiteering petition filed by several representa- also put forth a list of 25 demands
in the education sector” is the prime tive associations of private school including strict enforcement of the
objective of establishing DFRCs state- owners who argued the government mandatory (as per the Act) publication
wide, and advised “parents aggrieved has no right to directly regulate fees of quarterly financial audits on every
by unjust school fee hikes to look no of private schools under the MEI (Fees school’s website and allowing parents
further.” Regulation) Act 2011. to approach the DFRC for fee-related
Although parents contract to pay The Act mandates that in private grievances.
fees stipulated by private school man- schools, tuition and other fees should “In the current framework of the
agements at the time of admission of be approved by Parent-Teacher Asso- Act, setting up any number of DFRC
their children, in a society which has ciation executive committees (PTA- committees doesn’t benefit parents
little respect for contracts, many of ECs) constituted under the Act. If fees who cannot contest fee structures
them subsequently challenge school proposed by the management are not before DFRCs. The fact is the Act ap-

16 EDUCATIONWORLD JULY 2021