MUMBAI, June 12 -- With complaints pouring in about the exorbitant fee hikes by private schools, the state government has decided to amend the Maharashtra Education Institutions (Regulation of Fee) Act, 2011. It is expected to do away with the provision that necessitates complaints by a minimum of 25% of parents for action to be taken, and will also introduce an area-wise fee structure based on the operating cost of the schools. The amendments are expected to be on the lines of a fee regulation act existing in Gujarat. Maharashtra's existing fee regulation act has a provision for a fee hike of up to 15% every two years which is in accordance with the infrastructure upgrade by school managements. Individual complaints about fee hikes have been reaching the government but they do not make it to the divisional fee regulatory committee of retired district-level judges. "Since bringing 25% of parents together to sign a petition is a difficult task, the complaints do not reach the committees," said an official from the school education department. "Besides, parents are wary of raising a voice against school managements fearing negative repercussions on the prospects of their children." The government is now considering enabling individual parents to register complaints against fee hikes. The school education department, which has constituted a committee of education and legal experts, has studied the provisions of the Gujarat Self-Financed Schools (Regulation of Fees) Act, 2017. "The Gujarat Act has fee slabs varying from area to area depending on the operation cost, demand-supply and cost of living," said the official. "It also has a robust mechanism for grievance redressal at the local level. The committee has recommended the adoption of the provisions in Gujarat, which will suit Maharashtra on account of the glaring per capita income gap between rural and urban areas." The officer said that the amended law would have a robust system of assessment of the cost of infrastructure cited by school managements while fixing or raising fees. "A fee hike will be allowed only after it has been vetted through this mechanism," he said. "Currently, school managements propose the fee and the hikes by inflating the cost of the infrastructure upgradation and the facilities given to the students." The officer said that though hike proposals were approved by the executive Parent-Teacher Associations, most of the times the representatives of these associations were the ones favouring school managements. School education minister Dadaji Bhuse, when asked, confirmed that amendments to the act were planned. He added that the department would take strict action on complaints by parents regarding fee hikes. The existing law is also applicable to government schools, apart from aided, partially aided, non-aided and self-financed schools, although the alleged violations are by the self-financed schools. There are more than 16,000 self-financed schools, largely in cities like Mumbai as well as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, whose numbers are rising every year. The Gujarat law regulates only self-financed schools but the Maharashtra government is likely to continue with its provision of covering all schools, including government schools. According to officials, government schools will also be allowed to hike their fees in proportion to the facilities given and upgradation of infrastructure. The amended law will also cover coaching classes, to be regulated by a law expected to be enacted in the forthcoming monsoon session. A senior minister from the Mahayuti government alleged that the provisions of the law enacted in 2011 by the Congress-led government were never parent-friendly in order to safeguard the interest of education barons part of the government. Advocate Anubha Sahay, president of the India Wide Parents Association, said parents had been demanding this for a long time and added, "We fully support these amendments." Sahay, stressing the need for more financial transparency, said, "The government must make it mandatory for schools to submit their audit reports every year." Speaking about issues with the earlier District Fee Regulation Committee (DFRC), she said that many judges had refused to participate due to inadequate facilities and lack of compensation. Sahay pointed out that Gujarat's education regulation act had received approval from both the Gujarat high court and the Supreme Court. "If our government follows that model, it will be a step in the right direction," she said. Meanwhile, a representative of a city-based school management association refused to formally comment as they had not received any official draft yet. They said, "We are already submitting our audit reports every year, and are open to sharing them with the education department too." The representative said, "If the government allows complaints based on a single person's grievance, there must be a clear definition of what constitutes a 'single person' in this context. Without such clarity, schools could face trouble from individuals trying to exploit the system."...