A public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed in the Madras High Court Bench here seeking a direction to the School Education Department to restrain private schools from forcing parents to purchase uniforms, schoolbags, shoes, socks and other ancillary products through the schools at exorbitant rates than the market price.
The case came up for hearing before a Division Bench of Justices A. Selvam and V.S. Ravi on Monday. It directed the petitioner’s counsel S.M.A. Jinnah to include the school managements too as parties to the case and adjourned the hearing by a week. E. Liyahath Ali, secretary of Chappal Bazaar Association at Katrapalayam here had filed the PIL petition.
In his affidavit, the petitioner claimed that of late starting an education institution had become a lucrative commercial opportunity as was evident from mushrooming number of private institutions. These institutions were initially making money through collection of tuition fees and extra-curricular activities fees. Now they had ventured even in to sale of uniforms, footwear, school bags, books and other stationery.
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Claiming that these institutions virtually turn into a market place especially during the beginning of every academic year, the petitioner said that such practice adopted by the schools leads to loss of business to small traders including members of the petitioner’s association. He also pointed out that many schools collect the cost of the supplies along with the yearly fees.
“Such forcible collection of money is illegal because the parents do not get a chance to bargain. The schools fix the price of the products according to their whims and fancies and the parents are given no option but to pay price demanded by the schools. It is imperative that the school education department takes steps to stop such daylight robbery,” the petitioner’s counsel added.