Respected Sir / Madam,

We all are aware that due to Covid-19 Pandemic since last one year or so, the whole world is suffering. Millions of people lost their Jobs, suffered heavy losses in business, Reduction in salary and above all people have to bear additional  Medical expenses towards Corona treatment. At least one person in every family got infected due to Pandemic. Many families have lost their bread butter source. India is not different, people of India are equally suffering badly due to limited source of Income and exorbitant cost of school education, which runs in to lacs of rupees per child for Pre-primary and Primary level. 

Since the Government of India has limited resources to offer Free and quality education, the Private schools have mushroomed Loke dogs and cats during last three decades. Due to unavailability of quality education in Government owned schools and more particularly the English Medium Schools, it gave an opportunity to private schools to offer all required services to children. Therefore, parents, even a maid servant are preferring and sending their children to Private Unaided Schools. 

This gave an opportunity to Private schools management to exploit / loot parents by charging exorbitant tuition fees and also other unjustified fees under several non-prescribed heads. Though all schools are registered under Charitable Trust Act, the Government failed to Audit their Accounts for Profiteering due to the reasons best known to the politicians, whether they are from ruling party or opposition party. There is purely conflict of interest as as many as 70% educational institutions are either run or owned by these politicians. No politician is willing to touch this subject for obvious reasons. 

Due to Pandemic the schools have started ONLINE Education for all Grades, even for 3 years old children, just to extort money because they are well aware of the fact that parents will not pay fees, if there is no school. Parents have been protesting against exorbitant and unjustified fees charged by the schools for the year 2020-21 and 2021-22. They have lodged several complaints with the Statutory authorities, met the Education Minister many times to get some concession in fees but except false promises, nothing has been done till date. The schools are taking undue advantage of the fact that parents can't not afford to pay legal charges to move to High Court or Supreme Court. They approached politicians and authorities but most of them got managed by the schools lobby, having millions of rupees to offer and manage these people, easily. Whereas poor and innocent parents have no resources to fight against these powerful school managements, which can go to any unethical level.

Parents' KEY DEMANDS / PRAYERS

1. WAIVER OF TUITION FEES BY 50% In view of the fact that schools have not incurred / saved expenses towards Electricity, Maintenance, Laboratory, Library, Water, Sanitation, Sports activities, Staff, Security, Daily incidental Charges and most importantly the Salary of Contract teachers as 70-80% contract teachers have  either been removed or their contracts have not been renewed by the schools. There are approx. 30-50% contract teachers in every school. 

2. FULL WAIVER OF OTHER FEES TOWARDS UNUTILIZED SERVICES: The schools are also forcing parents to pay fees towards unutilized services, which are neither offered by schools nor availed by children. These are Bus fees, canteen fees, laboratory Fees, Library fees, Term Fees, Activity fees, Annual Day fees, Annual Maintenance Charges, Sports fees, Gymkhana Fees, Examination fee, Work sheets fees, oops.Uniform fees, Stationary Fees, Books and study Material fees, School essential fees, campus fees, Computer fees, Audio Video fees, Picnic and Field Trips fees etc. and under several other heads. Since these services were never provided by schools, these fees should be fully waived. 

3. NO CHILD BE DEBARRED FROM ONLINE CLASS: Even after SC and HC orders schools have debarred many children from online classes and also didn't allow these children to appear for exams because their parents couldn't pay full years's fees as demanded by schools. Schools refused to give LC when demanded. Due to the fact that the parents can't not afford to pay exorbitant and unjustified fees due to pandemic. 

4. LEAVING CERTIFICATE: In view of Pandemic many parents shown their inability to pay exorbitant fees, so they applied for LC to take admission in any other school, which is affordable. But schools are not even giving report cards of children whose parents couldn't pay full fees. School authorities REFUSED to give LC of those children unless full amount of fees are being paid. 

5. REPORT CARD ON HOLD: The schools are also not giving report cards and result of children whose parents couldn't pay the total amount of fees and have applied for concession. Schools also kept and denied PROMOTION TO NEXT CLASS of Many Children, which is against the provisions of RTE. 

6. STOP HUMILIATION, HARASSMENT AND MENTAL TORTURE OF CHILDREN: The teachers and Principals are insulting and humiliating children during online classes just because their parents couldn't pay full amount of unjustified fees. The children are getting demoralised due to constant pressure by the teachers. The teachers have been assigned and acting as recovery agents. They are calling, messaging, threatening parents during odd hours to pay fees, immediately through UPI. 

7. COMPENSATE PARENTS: The Parents have incurred additional expenses towards the purchase of Computer / Laptop / Smart Phone, Stationary, Furniture, Internet wi fi / data Charges etc. and most importantly salary loss of one of the parents as he / she has to remain at home while online classes are on. They can not leave children with computer or Smartphone. 

8. NO CHARITY: Schools are supposed to do charity as they are registered under Charitable Trust Act. This is the best time to offer Charity, when the whole whole world is suffering, by waiving off the fees of Children. But instead they feel its the best opportunity to loot parents by extorting and emotionally black mailing them to recover full amount of fees. Therefore, financial audit of all schools must be ordered and done by a honest organisation or authority which can not be influenced by the politicians or money. 

We hope for your co-operation and immediate action in the matter.

For and on behalf of Forum for Fairness in Education, Mumbai 

Jayant Jain - President