Many parents in Madurai district allege charging of fee by schools from children admitted through 25 % seats reserved for those from underprivileged background under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which prohibits collection of fee.
The daughter of K. Sivalingam got shortlisted for RTE admission to L.K.G in a popular matriculation school in Tiruppalai through the online system introduced by School Education department. However, he was shocked when the school demanded payment of fee.
“I was given two account deposit slips with the amount mentioned. I was asked to pay ₹ 20,410 in the name of a trust in one bank and ₹11,430 towards fees for tuition and books in another bank,” Mr. Sivalingam said.
When he questioned this, the school administration told him that a part of the amount would be reimbursed when the government reimbursed the fee. “As I could not pay, I admitted my daughter to another school. Though I petitioned School Education department, no action was taken,” he said.
K. Hakkim, an activist campaigning for effective implementation of the RTE Act, said cases like this were common. “Many schools cite the delay in getting fees reimbursed by the government under the RTE Act as reason. These school also collect from the children much more than the government-stipulated fee,” he said.
Another parent, who has admitted his son to L.K.G in a matriculation school in Anna Nagar, said though the school did not charge tuition fee, around ₹3,500 was charged for notebooks, uniforms and other things.
R. Rajasekaran, an activist from Thathaneri, said ₹4,000 was charged by a school in the locality to admit a child that had lost her mother and was under the care of her aunt, a daily wager.
“The child got short-listed for RTE admission. Initially, the school refused admission, stating that she was overaged. Later, they admitted her on paying the fee,” he said.
Mr. Rajasekaran, who has filed multiple petitions with the Collector’s office regarding the issue, alleged that most of the schools did not display the fee for each class and the number of students studying under the RTE Act, which was mandatory.
When contacted, V.M. Gayathri Rani, Inspector of Matriculation Schools, Madurai, said the schools had been strictly instructed not to collect any fee from children admitted under the RTE Act and display the fee structure prominently.
“If there are specific complaints against any school, we will take action,” she said. However, she said, in some cases parents themselves were willing to pay the fee charged by schools for co-curricular or extra-curricular activities.
