Education

Mumbai parents win fight against fee hike, civic body asks school to roll back its decision

Mumbai school fees

Parents of those studying in Turner Orchids, the International School in Koparkhairne on the outskirts of Mumbai have managed a small victory. Taking note of their complaint, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has ordered the school to roll back its fee hike.

The parents, in their complaint, said the school has asked parents to pay Rs10,000 (for Class 6 and 7) and Rs15,000 (for Class 8) for the upcoming academic year (2017-18) under the Orchids Careers Foundation Programme (OCFP), in addition to their regular fees.

The parents claimed the school hiked the fees by 10% last year (2016-17) for special lessons in mathematics and science by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) professionals, bringing the fees to Rs1, 02, 000 from Rs89,000.

In its order issued on April 5, the NMMC said under the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Collection of Fee) Regulation Act, 2011, schools cannot charge any amount in addition to the school fees .
The school has waived the extra charges.While the authorities are yet to announce the decision, an email sent by principal Pratibha Mishra to Rakesh Mundhra, a parent, on Friday, read: “This is to inform you that OCFP fees have been waived.”
Parents alleged the school had planned the hike without their consent. “The school had given us a written assurance that they would not hike the fees ,” said Mundhra. “Teaching is the responsibility of the school. They can’t charge separate fees for faculty.”
Despite repeated calls, Mishra was unavailable for comment. Vice-principal Anupama Rao said, “We have sent the notice to the management. We are awaiting a word from them. May be, the principal has already heard from them.”
[“source-hindustantimes”]

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