: Six students born in poor families and enrolled through the Right to Education Act in two schools in Triplicane and Royapettah are on the verge of dropping out of school at the primary classes itself.
The schools have sternly told the parents from the economically weaker sections to pay the tuition fee immediately if they wanted their children to continue studies instead of waiting for the government’s refund as per the RTE Act.
Shareef works in a mutton stall and his son has finished his Class I. But the matriculation school in Balaji Nagar, where he is studying, has sent him home telling his father to pay the fee or keep his son at home. “The school has raised a bill for Rs. 22,000, including books. My son has been studying there since L.K.G,” his wife Naseema Begum said. Shareef has approached the Directorate of Matriculation Schools.
CBSE schools
A CBSE school on Ellis Road has similarly provided an ultimatum to five of its students. Nasreen was told that her daughter could continue in Class I only if she paid the tuition fees. “The school authorities said they had not received refund from the government and asked us to pay tuition fee of Rs.480 per month,” she said.
Until last year, the fee was Rs. 5,000 per year. “My husband is a labourer in a hotel. We could not even afford to buy books,” she said, adding that she chose the school as it was one street away from home. Sauziya, whose child is also on the verge of dropping out, said she is trying to raise the money by Monday. “All the five children are in a similar situation,” she said.
“Schools that violate the RTE Act and demand fee will be strictly dealt with,” a senior official of the Directorate of Matriculation Schools said. “The government will refund the tuition fees. Early this week, parents from two schools came with such complaints and we have settled them. However, parents must know that the RTE does not cover charges for books and uniform,” he said.
Pooja Kulkarni, the nodal officer overseeing implementation of RTE, said that the claims of all matriculation schools had been settled until 2014-15. “We have settled around Rs. 90 crore via ECS to all schools that raised claims. But, we have no administrative control over CBSE. As far as I know, no CBSE school has raised a claim. Whatever reimbursement has to be made will be based on the claim,” she said.
The setbacks
With the State in election mode for the past few months, parents have been pushed to a corner. “This year, all schools have hiked both capitation and tuition fees. The term of the Singaravelu private school fee fixation committee is over and a new committee is yet to be formed. With the SC ruling that CBSE schools do not come under the committee’s purview, the State has no control over them,” child rights activist A. Narayanan said. Meanwhile, the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights that can monitor admissions and address grievances under the RTE Act, has yet to appoint a chairman since December.
Schools tell parents of poor students to immediately pay the tuition fee or keep the children at home
