When he heard his friend complain about paying almost a lakh as donation to admit his kid in a school, 28-year-old Vijay Gopal was taken aback. Many private schools in the city do not adhere to government rules and take donations of various kinds. That day, Vijay decided to fight against arbitrary fee structures in schools across the city and has successfully filed FIRs against four reputed schools — which now claim that they have stopped cheating parents in the name of donations. According to the Andhra Pradesh Educational Institutions Act 1983, schools are prohibited from asking parents to pay donations or any other fee apart from the tuition fee.
“I always had an inclination to work against corruption. We get cheated every time we step into a cinema hall, hospital, eatery and more. There is corruption everywhere. We pay hundreds for just popcorn at theatres... there are so many other illegal activities going on in the country. For instance, I heard that a government maternity hospital in the city didn’t have a generator and the newborns and mothers were in the dark for several hours. I filed a complaint against the hospital and several other such hospitals,” says Vijay, who pursued a Master’s degree in Finance and is currently working as a programme manager with a private company.
Parents have started calling and thanking Vijay for his efforts and schools are now being more careful. “How can a common man pay so much of fees plus donations? The maximum refundable donation a school can take is just '5,000. And parents must be provided with a proper receipt, which doesn’t happen either. Corruption must be first fought in the educational sector. Though the police were hesitant to file a complaint initially, after I told them that the schools are committing a criminal offence, they filed the FIRs,” says Vijay.
Vijay received a lot of backlash from schools and has faced many challenges. So, what keeps him going? “I know that none of us will live forever. I’d rather die doing something for the country than doing nothing. I work night shifts and take some time out every day to research and put my skills to use. I’ve studied all the Acts and rules and I know how to put it to use. Any parent can approach me and join me in the fight,” says Vijay.
