Mumbai: Parents to take school fee fight to Azad Maidan on February 17

Parents protest against school fees outside Sena Bhavan last month

Parents from across Maharashtra have decided to take their fight against what they call exorbitant and unjustified school fees to Azad Maidan next week, days after the Supreme Court ordered full payment during the pandemic period. Under the banner of Forum For Fairness in Education, the parents will hold a demonstration on February 17.

Fees have always been a friction point between parents and schools. However, the clamour for relief has grown manifold following the COVID outbreak that crippled families financially. There have been countless protests across the state over school fees. In some cases, parents have also accused school managements of hiking fees despite the crisis.

In their attempts to reach their voice to those in power, a group of parents had staged a protest outside the home of Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad a few weeks ago. "We have been asking for time from the minister to listen to our issues. But there's no response. We hope that a protest on a bigger platform will help us get the attention," said Jayanti Jain, president of the Forum.

While mostly parents from Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Alibaug are likely to join the protest at Azad Maidan, many from Pune, Nagpur, Navi are also expected to be there.

Jain said a petition on school fees is with the Bombay High Court but the hearing has not happened for long. "Suddenly now, after the SC's interim order which is in favor of school managements, we can expect a similar outcome here [HC] too. None of the fee related complaints have been addressed by the government yet," she said.

She also raised issues other than "exorbitant" fees. "There are complaints of even children facing the consequences if any parent is lagging behind on payments. There are constant threats on how the student will not be promoted to the next class, or will not be allowed to appear for exams. But the government seems to have turned ignorant towards all these concerns time and again," she added.

Feb 17
The date of parents' protest