State education department issues statement to announce removal after protests from parents; chairman and MD Rustom Kerawalla says he wasn't appointed, just invited
Vinod Tawde
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Upon facing protests by parents over two controversial appointments to a committee for advising change in the state Fee Regulation Act (FRA), state education minister Vinod Tawde on Wednesday removed one of the appointees - Rustom Kerawalla, founder-chairman of VIBGYOR High schools.
The state government's education department had formed a committee of parents and school authorities to suggest amendments to the FRA after receiving a series of complaints regarding exorbitant fee hikes in private schools.
Controversial appointment
Parents protested the appointments of Kerawalla and Jesus Lall, chairman of the Universal High School, because the two are allegedly battling several fee-hike complaints at their own schools, and hence wouldn't be able to provide an unbiased view for the amendments.
"Two representatives from each side - parents and school management - were appointed for the committee. Kerawalla was given the opportunity to represent the school management's views. But the Department has issued an order to discontinue his appointment," Tawde said in the statement. However, no clear reasoning was provided in the statement for the said action, but the protests are understood to be the basis of the ouster. This comes as a major development post the first meeting of the committee, which was held on May 19.
'Why was he appointed?'
Parents and activists are unhappy with the government for picking school representatives with the wrong background.
Anubha Sahai, president of the India Wide Parents' Association, said, "He should not have been appointed in the first place. We hope that at least now the government will give a chance to a person with a clear background. How can the government take people having a wrong background in the committee? Both the school representatives have constantly violated the RTE Act and other education Acts as well. Instead of taking action against them they are promoting their views for the amendment in FRA."
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