Maharashtra will enforce fee regulation law to prevent schools from hiking prices: Education Minister

Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde on Tuesday announced that the government would implement necessary steps to enforce a fee regulation law in educational institutions. Replying to a discussion on the issue raised in the state Assembly through a Calling Attention notice by BJP's Atul Bhatkalkar and others, Tawde said "at present, the legislation has no provision for redressal of parents' complaints against fee hike by schools." 

A committee has been set up to tackle this and address parents' complaints,  he said. "Now, parents can complain to the committee headed by retired high court judge V G Palshikar," Tawde added. He said parents should participate in Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings.

If the PTA is strong, there will be no irregularities in schools, Tawde said. The minister also said that there will be no compulsion for parents to purchase stationery from the school. "If parents do not wish (to buy stationery and books from schools), they will not be forced," he said, adding that "A strict implementation of the Fee Regulation Act will be done from 'this' academic year."

In May 2017, Tawde had announced that the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Regulation of Collection of Fee) Act-2011 would be amended to ensure that schools in the state do not charge exorbitant fees from students. The Act had come into force in 2015.