Fee Hike Needed, Say Schools. First Talk To Us, Say Guardians | Kolkata News – Times of India

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KOLKATA: The fee dispute, in which Kolkata schools and guardians have been locked ever since had campuses closed for the pandemic, seemed to reach the boiling point with the indefinite shutdown of G D Birla Centre for Education at Regent Park, Ashok Hall Girls’ Higher Secondary School at Minto Park and Mahadevi Birla Shishu Vihar on Ironside Road on Thursday. The last time the row had escalated, the Bengal government, and then the Calcutta High Court, had to step in.
The fee issue is still sub-judice and schools and parents said they hoped the stand-off could be resolved amicably without students having to bear the brunt.

2 sides

Fee hike was a sensitive subject, felt school heads. Several institutes, such as La Martiniere, have an annual increment in the fee structure. La Martiniere School secretary Supriyo Dhar said the rise was 5%-10% every year and parents usually did not oppose. The issues were sometimes linked to financial constraints of some parents, he said.
Krishna Damani, trustee of South Point, pointed out there might have been disagreements over fee hike earlier, but guardians were now fine with the updated fee structure. Sushila Birla Girls’ School principal Koeli Dey claimed her school never experienced this problem. “Issues raised by parents about fee revisions are rare and are settled amicably,” she said.
Several school heads pointed out regular fee hikes were necessary to foot rising costs. Subhas Mohanty, communications adviser to the Birla Group, said, “A school offers a service. The management usually discloses the charges they need to run a school. It is the parents’ discretion whether they want their children to study in that school or not. There is no need for agitation.” A principal of another school said, “I don’t think guardians should be allowed to stage a demonstration near schools. It can be disruptive and unsafe.”
Both protesting parents and those not part of agitation at the three schools said one of the main problems for the stand-off was lack of communications from school authorities. Somnath Bhattacharya, advocate and parent of a student at G D Birla, said, “A school representative should have cleared our queries and redressed grievances. Most of us have paid fees. It is not fair we aren’t given any reply.”
A parent of a South Point student said the school had also increased fees. “The school sent a letter, asking for parents’ consent for fee hike. It stated those not consenting would not get re-admission. I agreed because I can afford the amount but many could not,” she said. A parent from Loreto House said a fee hike at this stage was not advisable as it put pressure on parents.

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