The A.P. Parents Associations Co-ordination Committee (APPACC), an umbrella organisation of parents' associations, appealed to the aggrieved parents across the State to join hands in its fight against the “arbitrary” fee hike by private school managements.
The committee, with the objective of waging an organised battle against the managements, met on Saturday to announce its formation and discuss ways to take the struggle forward.
The committee is formed in the wake of the High Court's judgment favouring the government order that brings the fee structure of private schools under the scrutiny of the district administration, and at the same time, quashing a few provisions of the order for subjectively hampering the autonomy of a private institution.
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A clause in the judgment pronouncing the existing District Fee Regulatory Committee as invalid will render the order toothless, observed the Co-Convenor of the committee S. Govinda Rajulu while addressing the meeting. With this, the parents are left without support from either government or the judiciary, he said.
He recalled the struggle that ensued after many private schools in the city raised the fee by anywhere between 30 per cent and 80 per cent in 2008-09.
The order was issued after parents sought government intervention, but was immediately challenged by the school managements that questioned state government's juris-diction over CBSE schools.
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The judgment, while re-asserting such authority, also directed the government to put in place a mechanism for proper appraisal of the fee structure so as to check profiteering. However, three months into the judgment, no efforts have been made towards implementing the directions, the representatives of various parents' associations complained.
Meanwhile, with the academic year end only a few months away, a fresh hike by the school managements is imminent.
Member of the Legislative Council P.Sudhakar Reddy attended the meeting as the chief guest and said government can be spurred into action only through organised struggles.
Drawing attention to the lack of facilities and qualified teachers in private schools, he said parents are still forced to join their wards in them only because government schools lacked in quality education.
He pledged complete support to the future initiatives by the committee.
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Parents and associations from schools such as Princess Esin's Girls High School, Mukarramjah High School and Narayana Concept School attended the meeting. For enquiries, one may contact 9440369647 or 9849024134.