Government leaves SC/ST students in lurch
Published: Thursday, Dec 16, 2010, 1:57 IST
By Rosy Sequeira | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA
In a case relating to the ill-treatment of students from backward
classes by private aided schools because the state has stopped
reimbursing them, the Bombay high court was informed on Wednesday that
the payments have been halted as it was found that the schools are
fleecing the exchequer by submitting exorbitant bills. There are 1.15
lakh such students in the city.
A division bench was hearing a petition filed by Naresh Gosavi and
other parents stating that since the government has failed to release
grants under the free education scheme, the schools are not permitting
children to attend classes.
An affidavit filed by Uttam Lonare, deputy director of the social
welfare department (SWD), states that bills submitted by schools in
Mumbai are inordinately higher than those of the rest 33 districts in
the state.
A financial irregularity was noticed wherein Rs45 crore was released
by some officials without the mandatory sanction of the social justice
department (SJD), the affidavit states. An inquiry against these
officers is in progress.
Following the irregularity, the secretary of the SJD, on April 4 last
year, instructed that the government will not sanction reimbursement
of higher fees.
Lonare in his affidavit said a committee of four secretaries was
formed in February, which will take the final decision.
Lonare also stated that the education officer, Greater Mumbai, has
directed school managements that no student can be stopped from
attending school. He concluded that the government takes
responsibility of reimbursing fees of schools which charge as per the
laid down fee structure, but is not liable to pay higher fees.
Government pleader D Nalawade argued that after the irregularity was
noticed in 2009, the figures for Greater Mumbai have come down to
Rs16.17 lakh, from Rs670 lakh the year before. "We don't want schools
to profiteer while students in the rest of Maharashtra are deprived,''
he said.
The petitioners' advocate, Gayatri Singh, countered Nalawade's
argument by saying, "This [enquiry] is nothing but victimisation of
lower rank officers because the bills were sanctioned by senior
officers from the SWD in accordance with government resolution of
1976, by which the government is required to reimburse education
expenses of backward category students.
"These reimbursements were suddenly stopped in 2007,'' she added.
Nalavade submitted that the committee has proposed to fix the fees at
the rate of Rs100 per student monthly for Std 1-4, Rs150 for Std 5-7
and Rs200 for Std 8-10, which will be put before the cabinet for
approval.
Singh said that earlier each students were reimbursed between
Rs300-500 per month, but after 2007, this was reduced to a mere Rs5-7
per student, and the government even began to retrospectively recover
the 'lost' money from schools. The next hearing is on December 21.
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