About 40 parents of childdren studying in Kavi Bharathi Vidyalaya, a CBSE school in Thiruvottiyur, gathered at the DPI campus on Wednesday alleging that the management had charged fee in excess of what the private schools fee determination committee had recommended.
This comes just a day after the chairperson of the committee, Justice S.R. Singaravelu, recommended that the director of matriculation schools order Leo Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Anna Nagar West, to refund excess fee totalling Rs 5 crore that has been collected from students.
“We have been fighting with the school management for more than two years and have finally got justice. The management has to refund Rs 2.5 crore for 2010-11 and another Rs 2.5 crore for 2011-12. About 2,500 students will receive the excess fee,” said M.N.M. Mohan, vice-president of the school’s parents-students welfare association.
In Kavi Bharathi Vidyalaya, the secretary of the school’s parents’ association, Vinayakamurthy, alleged that “the committee recommended Rs 12,050 for students up to Class V, but the school charged Rs 18,000 for this academic year. Moreover, there’s no uniform fee structure in the school.”
“According to the fee receipt, the school collects Rs 250 towards library fees and Rs 450 towards lab charges, apart from other fees. What will a fourth standard student do in a library? The school also collects Rs 2,250 for co-curricular activity,” said Vinayakamurthy.
R. Arul, secretary of Kaligi Ranganathan Montford Matriculation School Parents’ Association, Ayanavaram, alleged that the school collects fees for smart class, activity notes, computer and English lab, mineral water and even for the SMS that the school sends to parents. S. Arumainathan, president of the Federation of TN Students Parents Welfare Association, said parents of children studying in seven schools, including three from Coimbatore, had represented to Justice Singaravelu committee on Wednesday.