School fees have allegedly been collected from a parent belonging to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), whose child had been admitted to a private school in Maharashtra's Solapur district under the Right to Education (RTE) quota in 2013. After a complaint was made to it by the parent, the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) has ordered an inquiry into the case.
According to Yallappa Nillappa Mankar, father of Harsh Mankar who was admitted under the RTE Act, the school had collected a total sum of Rs.1,11,000 out of which Rs.91,000 was school fees and Rs.20,000 was donation.
“We took admission in 2013 and since then, from classes 1 to 8, the school has taken fees from us. They kept on telling us that they will reimburse the amount once they get RTE money from the government. I thought it was a reputed school, so I kept on paying the fees,” said Mankar.
The Free Press Journal also heard a recorded conversation provided by Mankar where he is asking the school if they have received the reimbursement for RTE from the government.
However, the principal of Model Public School, Aditi Kulkarni, contested that “the school has not taken any such fees,” and informed that she has recently submitted a report to the MSCPCR after the commission had ordered an inquiry into the case.
“I have replied to the commission and their response is yet to come in,” she said. When The Free Press Journal asked for details about her reply, Kulkarni refused to comment.
Mankar further claimed that the school cited the non-reimbursement of RTE fees by the government when he demanded a refund of the wrongly collected fee. “The school refunded Rs.10,000 instead,” he said.
Mankar also alleged “mental harassment” and told The Free Press Journal that the school denied ID card and printed syllabus to the child when the payment of fees was delayed.
“The school has also tormented Harsh by denying him an ID card, printed syllabus, and online study material during COVID when payment of my child’s school fees was delayed,” he claimed.
Mankar said that all this has “demotivated my child who got disheartened” and expressed that he did not want to study or visit school at all after this incident.
RTE is a fundamental right provided by the Indian Constitution that guarantees free and compulsory education to every child between the ages of 6 and 14. This act, passed in 2009, aims to ensure that all children, regardless of their socioeconomic background, have access to quality education.
