Impossible to run on revised fee

CHENNAI: M Shenbaga Raj, the principal of the Kaligi Ranganathan Montford Matric Higher Secondary School, said that it is impossible to run the school following the revised fee structure announced by the by the Raviraja Pandian Committee.“We expected that the Raviraja Pandian Committee would announce a reasonable fee structure taking into consideration the various facilities we are providing for the students, but they have retained the fee structure announced previously by the Govindarajan committee,” he said.The fee that the school collected from students was used only to pay the teachers recruited to teach 20 extra-curricular activities for the students. This is in addition to the digitised class room facilities for the students and special teaching methodology adopted here after consulting educational experts from Ahmedabad, said Shenbaga Raj. He also added that the school spent money to provide purified drinking water processed through reverse osmosis methods.“We have appealed in the High Court against the committee report. If the court passes order against us, we will appeal in the Supreme Court. We will obey only to the Supreme Court order,” he said adding that they had held a meeting with the parents and got a written assurance from them to follow the fee structure adopted by the school management. “The school management also gave an assurance to pay back the money or adjust with the fee based on the court order.”When asked about the teachers harassing the students for not paying the fees, he said, “One or two teachers might have indulged in such practices because of their attachment to the school. But we have given strict instructions not to warn the students in the class room. Now, we only make announcements through the common microphone.” He added that even now, around 1,000 students were studying without paying fees but the school did not compel them to pay up.