The Maharashtra Cabinet on Thursday has approved an ordinance route to reduce the fees of private schools by 15 per cent during the pandemic in the state. In a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and state education minister Varsha Gaikwad in May, the parents of students of private schools had urged the CM to waive 15 per cent fees from 2019 to 2021 after the SC ordered fees reduction for Rajasthan.
In the letter to Maharashtra CM, they said, “Many schools are profiteering even in pandemic which is a serious concern and must be addressed immediately. Parents have been approaching the education minister and the education department but nothing happened in the past year and schools are still exploiting parents by demanding 100 per cent fees. In line with the Supreme Court decision, we demand a similar waiver for parents in the state."
In a related development, the school education department’s draft ordinance, which will give powers to the state to regulate fees in private schools during a crisis situation such as the pandemic, was tabled in the state cabinet.
A special leave petition challenging a Bombay High Court on March 1 was filed by the schools against the state government for requesting fee cut. HC allowed schools to hike fees during pandemic.
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