Parents slam ‘unnecessary fees’ collected by Shillong Public School

SHILLONG: The parents of students studying at Shillong Public School here have expressed displeasure over the educational institute collecting fees in the name of school development fund and others in violation of the RTE Act.
In a letter addressed to  the District School Education Officer on Monday, as many as 15 parents have said that the school is charging Rs 2,400 per student annually for class KG to IV, and  Rs 2,900 for class V and above in the name of  ‘school development fund’.
The parents said that they are also compelled to buy sports tunics every year for the students with a cost ranging from Rs 1,150 for class KG to II to Rs 1,500 for class III to V) and Rs 1550 for class VI to X.
While Rs 300 is charged for school ID cards, the students have to shell out Rs 500 to 700 for school bags and Rs 2000 for blazers.
According to the parents, the Right to Education Act was violated by the school which is imposing heavy fees on the students under various heads.
The schools falling under the Act cannot collect any fee, they argued.
The parents, who were never consulted on matters related to payments, said that since it is a government school and children studying in it come from different backgrounds, they are not in a position to pay funds for development of the school.
The parents sought immediate attention of the government in this regard.