Wearing a neatly pressed white uniform, seven-year-old boy Madhagu Harish, instead of going to school, had come with his father M. Madhavan to the Madurai Collectorate on Monday morning to present a petition seeking help in facilitating free education under Right to Education Act (RTE).
For the past three years, Madhagu Harish had been studying in Madurai East Seventh Day Adventist Higher Secondary School in Teppakulam in a seat reserved under RTE Act. Under the Act, private schools have to set aside 25% of their entry-level seats for students from economically weak families.
Mr. Madhavan said that last week the school asked him to pay tuition fee and book fee for his son to continue his studies in the school. “Last year I paid a book fee of around ₹3,000. But this year, I was told to pay ₹7,200,” said Mr. Madhavan, a driver in a private company.
“Last year also I was asked to pay higher fee and I approached the then Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao. A favourable directive was sent to the school from the District Educational Office and my son continued his education there,” he said. “My wife and myself are not literate. We want our son, at least, to have a proper education,” said Mr. Madhavan.
When The Hindu spoke to Principal Joseph Rathinam, he said Madhagu Harish had crossed the age limit to become eligible for the RTE seat. His father was aware of this and even paid the fee in full two years back.
An education official said that under the RTE Act, the government reimbursed tuition fee to schools. “For students of government schools, free books and notebooks are given. However, private institutions charged the students for books and notebooks,” he said.
