Private schools in Tamil Nadu demand fees from RTE students, says Anbumani Ramadoss
In a statement, Anbumani said that some schools are demanding fees from parents despite the government paying fees to the schools under the Act.
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss
CHENNAI: Alleging that some private schools are demanding fees from students admitted under Right To Education (RTE) Act, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss urged the government to take action against the schools that demand fees.
In a statement, Anbumani said that some schools are demanding fees from parents despite the government paying fees to the schools under the Act.
"As per RTE Act, private schools should allocate 25 per cent of their seats in KG section to class-8. State government will pay the fees by receiving funds from the central government. In 8,000 schools in Tamil Nadu, one lakh seats are allocated for RTE, " he added.
He alleged that the schools threaten parents to pay the fees and refuse to provide payment receipts.
"Since officials are favoring school managements, students could not join the schools. Some parents resort to availing loans to pay up. On the other hand, schools are justifying this by saying that fees fixed by the government are too low, " he said.
Saying that it is the responsibility of the government to ensure students are getting education under RTE, Anbumani urged the government to hold talks with private schools and resolve the issue.
"The government should ban schools from collecting fees from RTE students and action should be taken against the schools that violate, " he demanded.
In a separate statement, PMK founder S Ramadoss requested the government to postpone the opening of schools citing high temperatures.
"The government has announced that schools will be reopened on June 6. The high temperature will affect the students. For the past few days, the temperature has crossed 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Pondicherry also announced to open the schools from June 6, but the opening has been postponed to June 12. CBSE schools also will open from June 21," he said.
Saying that people are staying inside their houses due to heat, Ramadoss urged the government to postpone the school opening to the second half of June.