Govt-aided schools fleece parents for English medium education
Madurai: English-medium education in Tamil Nadu ’s govt-aided schools carries an annual tuition fee of just ₹200 to ₹500 under govt rules. However, parents are being forced to pay ₹7,500 to ₹15,000, prompting intervention by education authorities in Virudhunagar. The district’s chief educational officer (CEO) has directed action against a prominent school in Rajapalayam following a complaint alleging collection of ₹7,500 from English-medium students. The complaint, submitted by Tamil Nadu Government SC/ST Officers and Teachers Association on June 18, also alleged that the school denied fee concessions to SC/ST students.
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“Unauthorised fee collection should be stopped, and recognition of schools violating govt regulations should be cancelled,” Karuppaiah said. The CEO instructed his subordinates to take appropriate action and immediately submit a report. Download the TOI App.
On Oct 5, S Karuppaiah, president of Dalit Liberation Movement, petitioned the chief minister, alleging that aided schools not only in Virudhunagar but across Tamil Nadu were collecting ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 annually. He sought an investigation into fee collection practices at all 8,200 aided schools. 148, issued on July 20, 2018, govt-aided schools can collect annual English-medium tuition fees of ₹200 for Classes VI-VIII, ₹250 for IX-X and ₹500 for XI-XII. The order also requires at least 50% of sections to remain Tamil-medium and prohibits collecting English-medium tuition fees from students studying in Tamil.
The Virudhunagar CEO directed education officials to ensure that govt-aided schools publicly displayed fee structure for their self-financing sections. Separately, Sivakasi block educational officers issued a circular warning govt-aided primary and middle schools against unauthorised fee collection. It warned of strict action against schools facing such complaints. Under G.O. No.