Mumbai: The Maharashtra government issued a new Government Resolution (GR) on Saturday to review and amend Fee Regulation Act (FRA) on the basis of complaints and suggestions received from the parents and Parents Teacher Association (PTA).
The PTA is a body, which has approved the proposed fee hike by the school authority. Several parents and NGOs want the PTA removed as they allege that the PTA is hand in glove with the school managements over the fee hike issue.
Deputy director of education B.B. Chavan said that they had suggested change in the PTA ratio from 2:2 to 2:3. According to the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fee) Act, 2011, private school managements must seek PTA executive panel’s approval for any fee hike six months before the start of the new academic year.
The newly-formed GR on fee hike said: “A 11-member committee will be appointed to suggest changes in the FRA. There will be two representatives each from parents and school management. It would be healed by Divisional Fee Regulatory Committee (DFRC) Judge. This will bring required changes in the Act. And complaints and suggestions can be forwarded directly to deputy director of education”.
Mr Chavan said, “The state education department has now planned amendments to change in the formation of PTA’s. The PTA will now have a number of parents as compared to school representatives. So the decision would be in favour of parents.”
Chetna Eyani, another parent from Kandivali said, “Schools have been increasing fees every year without giving any justification. The hike is from 15 percent to 260 per cent.” Bindu Namibiar, another parent said, “The school should take parents who are well versed with FRA in the PTA while proposing fee hike.”
However, Jayant Jain who is member of PTA, said, “There is a lottery system, where parents are selected not elected, despite court’s order. These changes of including more members of PTA wont make any difference in curbing fee hike, as the parents would be selected by the school managements.”
