Page 14 - EW August 2021

Education News

history and reputation because while Rajasthan order delivered on May 3
heading petroleum & natural gas and that the Shiv Sena-led MVA coalition
skills ministries, Pradhan has had government resolved to announce its
substantial interaction and dealing decision within 21 days (by August 11)
with private sector corporates and as per the SC directive.
education institutions. Therefore, he In the Indian School, Jodhpur
is likely to better appreciate the role case, the apex court directed all pri-
of the private sector in education vate schools in Rajasthan to collect
which educates more than half the 85 percent of contracted fees for the
country’s children. But it remains to academic year 2020-21. Taking a cue
be seen if he will resist RSS ideologi- from this apex court order, the MVA
cal pressure to regress rather than government has proposed to apply
progress Indian education which is this formula for the academic year
in bad shape following the longest 2021-22. But parents’ representatives
pandemic lockdown worldwide,” are demanding this order should be
says Dr. Parth Shah, founder-di- applicable with retrospective effect
rector of the Centre for Civil Society, and cover 2019-20 and 2020-21 as
Delhi, one of the country’s most Kedia: default encouragement well.
education-focused think tanks. Even as battle lines are being
But following the prolonged crisis because of massive fees defaults drawn with school managements on
pandemic lockdown of schools, the by parents. one side and parents and government
world’s largest and long-neglected “The USF (Unaided Schools’ Fo- on the other, government spokesper-
child and youth population needs a rum) has already challenged the Ma- sons are generating confusion. While
substantially, rather than marginally, harashtra (Regulation of School) Fees the cabinet resolved to pass an ordi-
better and proactive Union educa- Act, 2011 in the Bombay high court. nance, Maharashtra’s education min-
tion minister. We are now exploring legal options to ister Varsha Gaikwad said the state
Autar Nehru (Delhi) oppose the proposed ordinance. It’s would pass a government resolution
pertinent to note that private schools (GR) to reduce fees by 15 percent this
MAHARASHTRA didn’t increase their fees in the aca- year.
Unfortunate oversight demic year 2020-21 and continued oreover, on July 26, a directive
the 2019-20 fee structure approved Mby Vaishali Jamkar, deputy
by every school’s Parent Teacher As- director of the education ministry’s
uccumbing to intensifying pres- sociation executive committees estab- Nagpur division, ordered private
sure from parents demanding lished under the Act. The proposed or- schools to reduce fees by 25 percent
Sreduction of private school fees dinance will accelerate unrest among following a meeting with Union min-
because of income and job losses suf- parents and encourage them to ab- ister of transport and highways Nitin
fered during the Covid-19 pandemic, stain from paying even reduced fees,” Gadkari, a BJP heavyweight. Chastis-
the Maharashtra government is all set says Subhash Chandra Kedia, ing the government and education
to slash fees payable in the new aca- honorary secretary of USF. ministry officials for announcing con-
demic year 2021-22. On July 28, the Citing financial difficulties due to fusing ad-hoc decisions, school man-
state’s cabinet approved an ordinance job losses during the pandemic and agement associations are demanding
to enforce a 15 percent cut in tuition provision of a few hours of online Jamkar’s dismissal.
fees of private unaided (independent) education to their children during “If government expects unaided
schools. However, a battle royale is in the prolonged pandemic lockdown, schools to reduce school fees by 15
the offing as several private schools parents are protesting against paying percent, it should underwrite the re-
associations are reportedly set to file full fees. Several parents associations maining 85 percent to save schools the
writs in the Bombay high court chal- and representative organisations are hassle and expense of collecting the
lenging the constitutionality of the demanding a 50 percent reduction of prescribed amount. MESTA member
proposed order. school fees and numerous protests schools have already waived 50 per-
Maharashtra (pop.115 million), In- have been staged statewide since the cent of fees for parents experiencing fi-
dia’s most industrialised state, hosts lockdown. nancial difficulties. However, to direct
18,000 independent private schools However, it was only on July 22 all schools across the board to manage
with an aggregate enrolment of after the Supreme Court directed the with reduced fees in these inflation-
900,000 students. A majority of them Maharashtra government to study its ary times is unjust,” says Sanjayrao
are now confronted with an existential Indian School, Jodhpur vs. State of Tayde Patil, founder-chairman, Ma-

14 EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2021