MUMBAI: Now, private schools cannot charge excessive fees and get away with it, as parents can complain to the Fees Review Committee (FRC) against such schools. 

Education Minister Vinod Tawde announced in the Legislative Assembly that 25 per cent of the parents can come together and file a complaint against schools charging exorbitant fees. 

BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar raised the issue of the hike in fees by private schools through a calling attention move. Many parents were against the fee hike but they could not complain to the fee review committee as there were no provision for parents. 

To amend the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Regulation of Collection of Fee) Act, 2011, the government appointed a committee under retired judge VG Palshikar. The committee submitted the report and recommended that the parents be allowed to appeal against the fee hike to the Fee Review Committee. If the parents are more than 25 per cent then the committee has to take a proper hearing of the complaint, the committee recommended. 

“Many schools force the parents to purchase educational kits from the school. The parents can complain against this,” Tawde said.