Despite heavy rains lashing the twin-city, scores of students and their parents marched to the local legislator’s office and then headed to the main administration building of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) in Bhayandar to register their protest against excess fees charged by the management of some private schools.
The peaceful agitation was held under the aegis of Haq Hai- a social organisation which has been actively highlighting the woes of local citizens.
The parents alleged that despite repeated appeals, the education department was playing blind to the fleecing tactics by private schools in the form of cash demands made under the guise of building development fund or miscellaneous fees.
“The school managements are allowed to collect tuition and term fees and that too in accordance with state government guidelines. But here most of the schools are brazenly demanding more money on various pretexts. Are they not aware about the financial condition of citizens who are struggling to make ends meet due to the pandemic? We have sought the intervention of MBMC chief- Dilip Dhole and legislator- Geeta Jain.” said Sadiq Basha- convener of Haq Hai.
The charter of demands include- formation of audit panels to check school accounts and address grievances raised by parents, tri-monthly submission of reports, refund of excess fees collected in the last academic session, standing instructions to schools to collect only legitimate tuition and term fees, proper implementation of the RTE Act and criminal cases to be registered against school managements found to be fleecing money from parents.
