Violation of panel stipulation alleged
The management of a private matriculation school in Keelkattalai has refunded excess fee totalling over Rs.41 lakh to the students. This was after parents of some of the students of the school alleged that the management was charging fee in excess of what was prescribed by the Private Schools Fee Determination Committee.
Complaints received
Complaints of at least six such schools were received by the Committee in the last six months, which were forwarded to the Directorate of Matriculation Schools that issued show cause notices to the institutions.
Of the seven schools that were issued show-cause notices, six responded to the Directorate. “This school produced vouchers signed by every parent when it refunded the excess fee. This is first time that we had a school that had readily agreed to refund such a huge amount after receiving our notice,” said an official of the Directorate.
Two schools have replied stating that they are going on an appeal in the Court, while one school has sought two weeks more time to respond to the notice. The reply provided by the other schools has not been satisfactory, said the official.
Reminder
“We will be sending a reminder to the school that has not responded,” said the official. According to officials, schools that are going to appeal should still abide by the fee structure stipulated by the Committee till the court delivers its verdict.
Chairman of the Committee Justice S.R. Singaravelu had recently said schools that continue to collect fees in excess of what is prescribed will face criminal action or de-recognition. But, parents say the action taken by the Committee and the Directorate is very slow. “We have been representing to the Committee many number of times but no action has been taken against the school. Unless criminal action is taken against one or two schools, managements will not take the Committee's fee structure serious and people will lose faith in the whole process,” said S. Sridhar, a parent of a school in Alwarthiru Nagar.