COIMBATORE: The Directorate of Matriculation Schools (DMS) has directed private matriculation schools not to collect fees from children from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) who secured admission under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
It also stated in a circular that schools should not force students to pay the fee and District Educational Officers (DEOs) for private schools in all districts have been asked to monitor schools to ensure they are not collecting fees from students.
This directive was issued recently to all matriculation schools following several complaints that private schools were forcing parents to pay tuition fees.
Welcoming this move, a functionary from Manavar Kalvi Urimmaikkana Kootttamaippu in Coimbatore told TNIE that private schools have the right to seek tuition fees from the state and central governments, not from students admitted under the RTE.
He alleged school authorities have intensified collection of fees from parents, claiming both the state and central governments have stopped reimbursing schools for the RTE admissions for the last two years.
A few parents in Pollachi had complained to the DMS last month, alleging schools were forcing them to pay tuition fees for their children. The DEOs for private schools should monitor schools so that they stop collecting fees, he added.
The principal of a matriculation higher secondary school in Mettupalayam who did not wish to be named told the TNIE that not all schools force parents to pay fees. “We do not ask students to pay the fees although we are managing school expenses such as teachers’ salaries, taxes, and school administration costs amid the financial crisis. The government should release the pending amount to schools,” he stated.
A top officer from the school education department told TNIE that only the state government can make a decision as this is a financial matter.