For many parents, the dream of obtaining an RTE quota seat in a private school was short-lived, as several schools reportedly asked them cough up money, not as tuition fees but for other heads, such as extra-curricular activities, textbooks and stationery. This, despite the fact that it is against the rules mandated by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
With no access to funds, many parents have taken a loan to pay school managements, who have allegedly refused to admit students if they can’t meet the expenses. According to distraught parents, schools are charging anywhere between ₹5,000 and ₹30,000 for a year to pay for extra-curricular activities and textbooks.
A parent, who paid ₹6,905 to a school in Bengaluru after his son got admission under the RTE quota for LKG, said, “We are helpless and have to pay the ‘fees’, as the school is saying that the reimbursement it receives from the government is not enough to provide all facilities for our child.”
Reju M.T., Commissioner for Public Instruction, said that parents who are facing such issues can approach the District Education Regulatory Authority (DERA) with specific complaints. The authority is the nodal agency to look into grievances related to excess fees charged by private schools.
According to the Karnataka Education (Second Amendment) Act, 2017, private schools can be penalised up to ₹10 lakh and also directed to refund money if excess amount is collected by the institution as fees.
However, most parents are loath to file complaints with the department, as they fear that the school management will refuse to admit their children if they protest.
The RTE Students and Parents Association submitted a letter to Shalini Rajaneesh, Principal Secretary of the Department of Primary Education, demanding that all money collected from parents during admission must be returned immediately without any conditions. They have alleged that many of the jurisdictional Block Education Officers are in the know of this, but are refusing to act.
As many as 2.33 lakh applicants were eligible to obtain 1.52 lakh seats under the quota. In the first round, around 97,000 parents admitted their children in seats under the quota. The second round of the allotment process is likely to take place later this week.
