COIMBATORE:The State Platform for Common School System has urged the State government to not initiate the process of reimbursement of fee to private schools, unless all allegations against them are enquired into and punitive action taken, wherever necessary, and the per child expenditure incurred by the State for classes LKG and UKG is arrived at.
In a memorandum to the Chief Secretary, general secretary of the organisation PB Prince Gajendra Babu recalled that Director of Matriculation Schools directed Chief Educational Officers to constitute committees to verify whether schools collected any fee from those admitted under RTE Act and if found to have collected, the schools be asked to repay the amount, obtain signature and then recommend for the reimbursement.
Instead of identifying and initiating legal action against schools that violated the provisions of RTE Act, 2009, the directive actually saved the errant schools that are liable for action under various sections of IPC including 415, 418, 420 and 423, Babu said. He further said many parents had complained that they were not informed of such inquiry being held in their school and the school did not repay the money they had paid for admission of their child under RTE Act.
“The Government of TN has not disclosed the per child expenditure incurred for LKG and UKG. Reimbursement calculated and recommended by the Inspector of Matriculation Schools for the year 2013-14 and 2014-15 for Classes LKG and UKG for several schools exceed Rs 22,000, which is over and above the expenditure incurred by TN for Class 1,” Babu said and questioned whether Per-Child Expenditure for Class LKG and UKG exceed the per child Expenditure for class 1.
