Private schools force RTE students to pay uniform and book fees

Mumbai: Parents from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) of society, whose children have been admitted to schools under the Right to Education (RTE) quota, are being asked to pay uniform and book fees in violation of the RTE Act. The schools charge fees that are far higher than those for books that are sold in stores, dissatisfied parents said to Hindustan Times. The state education department recently declared the results of the lottery that is run every year for RTE admissions.

Sunil More, parent of a girl student who got admission to an Andheri-based CBSE school, said, “After receiving a letter from the RTE portal, I submitted all the documents to the school. After confirming my admission, the school administration asked me to pay ₹5,850 for the textbooks, notebooks and two sets of uniforms. When I refused to pay this amount, the administrator told me that they would not allow my daughter to enter the school with textbooks and uniform purchased from an outside vendor. After hearing this, I took out a ₹5,000 loan from my employer,” said More, who is working as a carpenter’s assistant and lives in a 100-square-foot home in the Laxmi Nagar slum area.

In another case, Ranjana Chaube, a single parent of two daughters living in a Bandra slum, said, “I feel very lucky that my daughter got admission to an ICSE school, but after completion of the admission process, the school has demanded ₹7,700 for textbooks, notebooks, a school bag and a uniform. I work as a domestic help in a nearby tower, and I earn barely ₹8,000 per month, out of which I pay ₹4,500 as rent. It is very difficult to arrange this much money.” Chaube also arranged for the amount after taking an advance from her employer.

The principal of a school said on condition of anonymity, “The state government paid us only tuition fees for the students who were admitted under the RTE quota. School managements are also facing a financial crisis, as the government owes more than ₹1,200 crore to schools across Maharashtra as reimbursement of fees for students admitted under the RTE quota. To provide quality education, we need to charge this amount.”

Sudhir Paranjpe, an education activist, said, “As per the Right to Education Rules, 2011, students have the right to free textbooks, stationery and uniforms. ‘Free education’ means totally free education, and any charges levied by the school are illegal.”

Another activist, Nitin Dalavi, said, “It’s illegal for schools to ask parents to pay any kind of fee. Schools’ concerns about financial crises are accepted, but for that, they should fight with the government; they don’t have any right to deny admission on this basis.”

An education officer said on condition of anonymity, “We receive such complaints every year, but there is no specific mention of this in the law. As per the law, the local body is responsible for primary school education. The rule about textbooks and uniforms is applicable to the local body schools. We need to verify whether this is applicable to private schools.”