Hyderabad: The Hyderabad School Parents Association wants the government to appeal against a High Court stay on the status quo ordered on the fee hike for 2018-19.
Parents said that there were a slew of cases, including two PILs filed by HSPA, pending in courts.
Parents questioned the condition allowing schools to collect the hiked fee under a separate head and not use it till the closure of the case. They said that they would appeal in the court.
According to parents’ associations, the government should file a petition to vacate the stay and issue an ordinance stating that a new law could be easily challenged as a memo or a GO.
Association member Pavan Reddy said, “Again the judiciary and the government have let parents down. The unholy nexus between private schools and government authorites is to be blamed for this. Close to 20 PILs and petitions are waiting to be heard. The government should act tough after having giving an assurance several times in the Assembly about bringing in a regulated school fee regime.’’
HSPA executive member Ashish Naredi said, “It is unfortunate that the court has given a stay against the government order. The stay is a clear failure on the part of the government to present its case properly.’’
The best way to move ahead legally was through impleading in the present case and file a separate writ appeal against this judgement. This would be decided in a few days after consultation with the law team, he added.
Association member Seema Agarwal said, “Anticipating such an action by schools, HSPA had pleaded the government to file a caveat in court. However, the government did not deem it fit to do so.”
The HSPA had additionally contacted the government pleader for the education department to inform HSPA on filing of any case by any school or school association so that HSPA could effectively intervene in the issue.
The government pleaders also did not deem it fit to inform the HSPA. Not filing a caveat and not even informing HSPA of the case smack of deliberate foul play by the government, the association said.
Another member K. Venkat Sainath said, “Had the government impressed upon the court that the issue is pending resolution since 2009 and that from 2009 to 2018 the school fees have been hiked by upto 500 per cent, we believe the courts would not have passed this interim order.”
“The government has at its disposal all the proofs of extreme profiteering by schools, including those submitted by HSPA. However, these too it seems, have not been brought to the notice of the High Court,” Sainath added.
The actions or the lack of them on part of the government seemed to suggest that it found schools more powerful than itself, he added.
Parents said the next hearing was on April 23, but the admissions would have been completed and the new academic year would have started. HSPA would be impleading in the case as waiting for the next hearing would not help. The association will also be filing a writ appeal against the stay.
