Petition to the Maharashtra Ministry of Education

TO:

1. The Minister of School Education and Sports, Government of Maharashtra, Mantralaya, Mumbai.

2. The Divisional Fee Regulatory Committee (DFRC), Office of the Deputy Director of Education, Mumbai Division, Charni Road, Mumbai.

Subject

Formal Petition for Urgent Scrutiny of Arbitrary Fee Hike for Academic Year 2026–27 at I.E.S. Orion, Dadar (E), Mumbai.

Respected Sir/Madam,

We, the undersigned parents of Class VI students at I.E.S. Orion, Dadar, Mumbai, are writing to formally lodge a grievance and request your urgent intervention regarding a significant and arbitrary increase in the school fee structure for the upcoming academic year 2026–27.

Statement of Facts:

Previous Academic Year Fee (2025–26): ₹1,21,250
Proposed Academic Year Fee (2026–27): ₹1,70,400
Percentage Increase: Approximately 40.5%
Absolute Increase: ₹49,150 per student

Grounds for Grievance: Violation of Regulatory Norms: Under existing state regulations, fee hikes are typically capped at 15% biennially. This proposed 40% hike far exceeds established benchmarks.

Lack of Justification: The school management has failed to provide a transparent breakdown or a valid rationale for this escalation. There have been no visible upgrades to infrastructure, technology, or academic resources that justify such a massive financial burden.

Procedural Lapses: To our knowledge, this increase has not been ratified by the required 76% consensus of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), nor was it communicated with the mandatory six-month notice period.

Financial Hardship: This unexpected surge places an undue and excessive financial strain on hundreds of families, threatening the continuity of our children’s education within this institution.

Prayer for Relief: We earnestly request the Ministry of Education and the DFRC to:

Initiate an Audit: Direct an immediate scrutiny of the school’s financial accounts to verify the necessity of such a hike.

Stay the Implementation: Issue an order to the school management to stay the collection of the revised fee until a formal resolution is reached.

Mandate Transparency: Compel the school management to present a detailed cost-benefit analysis to the PTA as per the Fee Regulation Act.

We trust in your commitment to ensuring that education remains accessible and that private institutions operate within the framework of state laws.

Yours faithfully,

 
Parents of Class VI,

IES Orion, Dadar (E), Mumbai.