Complaints on fee collection pour in

CHENNAI: Even as the academic year is set to end soon, complaints of excess fee collection are still pouring in. On Friday, over 100 parents of children studying in eight city schools made a beeline to meet the head of the State government-appointed fee fixation committee to complain against these institutions.

“The Seventh Day Adventist Matriculation School in Vepery can charge only `5,300 as annual fee for LKG. But, it sought `18,000 this year. For next year, it is `21,000,” said Pugazhendhi, president, parents’ welfare association of the school.

Despite an order by panel head Justice S R Singaravelu asking the Directorate of Matriculation to issue a showcause notice to St John’s Matriculation School, Alwarthiru Nagar, as to why action should not be taken against it for overcharging, the school has not refunded the excess fee, said Salman Harith, secretary of the parents teachers association.

“Two receipts are given by the school for fee payment — one containing the permissible amount and the other for the rest. Both receipts mentioned the same cheque number in the payment details column,” rued N Sekar, secretary of the parents association at CSI Ewarts Matriculation, Anna Nagar.

Complaints were made against Leo Matriculation, Anna Nagar, Loyola School, Padma Sarangapani School, Villivakkam, Sri Sankara Vidyalaya, Pammal, and Daniel Thomas Matriculation.