Minister: Govt will amend law to curb unregulated school fee hikes, charges
He said govt also plans to introduce legislation to crack down on the nexus between private coaching classes and colleges in the state. This was in response to questions about colleges charging fees but coaching classes undertaking the job of teaching.
Bhuse also said that it was wrong for schools to insist that uniforms and school material be purchased from a specific shop.
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The issue of steep and unregulated fee hikes was raised by BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar, who said schools were supposed to raise their fees by only 15% every two years.
"However, the PTA (parent-teacher association) is empowered to push for fee hikes. As a result, 10-12 parents on the PTA can work towards a fee hike decision which will impact 10,000-12,000 children. There should be a rule that 50% of the children should be represented by their parents on the PTA," he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Varun Sardesai said schools had also adopted a strategy of keeping the official fees low but charging for other items.
"There is a new racket. The fee is kept low, but the schools charge for infrastructure, picnics and so on," he alleged.
In response, Bhuse said the fee regulation Act would be amended. "We have received many complaints, even though school fees are supposed to be hiked only by 15% every two years. Please send all your suggestions to us," he said.
The issue of the nexus between coaching classes and colleges was raised by MLA Hiraman Khoskar. He said this had resulted in a situation where the fees for courses had shot up from Rs 15,000-20,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh. "The nexus between colleges and coaching classes has been seen in Nashik. Colleges are misusing the benefits they have been given by the state," he alleged.
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