Schools shouldn’t hike fees according to their will: Judge

Justice Biswajit Basu of Calcutta High Court on Tuesday expressed concern over what he called the common practice of private schools enhancing fees abruptly and raised the question of whether there should be more government control in the regular activities of non-aided private schools.

“Education is not a commodity on which you can put a price tag,” the judge said.

“Private schools should not be allowed to hike their fees according to their will. There must be a control of the state on the activities of the private school,” the judge said.

The judge asked the state’s advocate-general, S.N. Mookherjee, to present the government’s views on the issue on June 26, when the matter is scheduled to come up for hearing again.

Justice Basu was hearing a petition moved by a student at a non-aided private school challenging the decision of the school authorities to increase the fees.

The judge cited an act that says private schools have to take the state’s consent for various activities. “A 2012 act states there must be the consent of the state on the activities of private schools,” the judge said.

Hike in fees and high fees in private schools came under the scanner during the Covid pandemic, when parents across schools found it difficult to pay their children’s fees.

The pandemic-induced slowdown in the economy resulted in many parents losing their jobs, incurring losses in their businesses or suffering pay-cuts.

In 2020, the court had asked the parents to pay 80 per cent of the school fees. Schools were to waive 20 per cent of the tuition fees and not charge fees on heads like laboratory, craft, sporting facilities, extracurricular activities and the like till in-person classes resumed.

Private schools have raised their fees this year. Some of them did so last year too.

Some of the cases regarding fee hike by private schools are pending in the court. Parents of children at different private schools have appealed against the hike in fees by schools.

During the pandemic there were agitations outside private schools against fees that the parents said were unjust at a time campuses were closed.

While parents expressed their inability to pay the fees, the schools alleged that a section of parents was not paying even the court-ordered discounted fee.