CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Commissioner of School Education to display circulars on notice boards of all government schools declaring that they shall not collect any amount from students, except `50 towards the subscription for Parents Teachers Association (PTA). The circular should also mention that action will be initiated against the headmasters if excess amount is collected during admissions, the court added.
Justice D Krishnakumar passed the interim order on a plea moved by B Muralidharan, PTA president of Anakaputhur Government Higher Secondary School in Chennai. “As per the State government’s direction to school authorities to admit students for the next academic year, Anakaputhur school management also issued admission applications for Classes 6 to 12.
Though a circular issued by the District Education Officer dated June 18 stated that schools must not collect any amount from students while issuing applications, the Anakaputhur school is demanding `100 for each application. The forms have been refused to poor students who could not afford to pay `100,” counsel for petitioner M Baskar said.
Recording the submissions, the court said that all Chief Educational Officers and District Educational Officers should conduct periodical inspection at government schools based on complaints of excess fee collection, and submit a report to the Commissioner of School Education in Chennai. “Headmistress of the Anakaputhur school collected excess fee flouting rules, and this violation should be viewed seriously,” the judge said and adjourned the plea to July 27 for the Commissioner of School Education to collect a district-wise report from the Chief Educational Officers and file a comprehensive report.