Parents approach Maharashtra government to request easing of school fee regulations

The Maharashtra government is convening for the winter session in Nagpur. Taking this opportunity, the India Wide Parents’ Association met with leaders of Shiv Sena to share their concerns regarding the amendment to the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fee) Act, 2011. This amendment was proposed by the previous government and subsequently received approval from the assembly as well as the legislative council with notifications going out in August this year. 

Representatives of the India Wide Parents’ Association argue that the rules are made to benefit the school managements, and it’s hard to disagree especially when we consider aspects like interests and late fees that can be a burden for middle-class parents.

The amendment also allows schools to hike the fees every two years by up to 15% as long as it has approval from 76% of the parents. 

One of the members of the association, Anubha Sahai, said “It is almost impossible to get so many parents on board because so many are worried about their child’s well-being in school. The state government should allow individual parents to contest a hike and make it mandatory for schools to get fee hikes approved by the divisional committee of which management members are not part of.”

As of now, there needs to be a 25% grouping of parents to address a concern. This also includes filing an appeal and gathering signed forms from each parent. The India Wide Parents’ Association argues for this to be broadened by allowing individuals to file complaints rather than gathering a quarter of the parents from a class or institution, which may be easier said than done in some cases for the reasons mentioned above.