Updated on: Saturday, April 23, 2011
Hundreds of parents now have a reason to smile. The much-awaited bill to curb arbitrary fee hikes by schools has finally been tabled in the legislative assembly.
Tabling the bill, school education minister Rajendra Darda said on Wednesday, “(It) aims at regulating the fee hike structure in schools in the state. Once approved, the rule will be applicable to ICSE, CBSE, SSC and IB schools as well.”
Objecting to the bill, BJP legislator Devendra Fadnavis said, “It clearly violates India’s constitution. The managements of educational institutions are waiting for the bill to be tabled so that they can challenge it in court.”
Instead of introducing the bill with loopholes, the school education department should rework the draft. Speaker Dilip Walse-Patil echoed the view. “I have read the draft. It has many loopholes, which can be challenged in court. If the court strikes down the bill, it will be embarrassing for the government,” he said.
But Darda urged him to allow the introduction of the bill as it was in the larger interest of students. Giving his goahead, Walse-Patil said, “The changes to be made in the draft will be taken up for discussion by group leaders.”
In the Nagpur assembly session, Darda had assured the House that he would introduce the fee regulatory bill during the budget session.