CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered a notice on a batch of writ petitions challenging the recommendations of the Private Schools Fee Determination Committee represented by its member-secretary on May 7 last year.The First Bench comprising Chief Justice MY Eqbal and Justice T S Sivagnanam ordered the notice on Monday to the School Education Secretary, the Director of TN Matriculation Schools and the Committee, returnable in one week.According to one of the petitioners — Federation of Associations of Private Schools in Tamil Nadu that represents over 2,000 private unaided schools in the State — when the constitutional validity of the TN Schools (Regulation of Collection of Fees) Act was challenged, the High Court had passed a detailed order on March 11, 2009. While upholding the Act, the Court had set aside Sec 11 of the Act and issued certain directions. However, the Committee, in a hurried manner and without applying its mind to the pleas from each and every institution and without following procedures contemplated in the Act and the Rules, fixed the fee structure for nearly 10,500 schools for three academic years commencing from 2010-11. None of the institutions were called upon to place their proposed fee, as laid down in Sec 4 of the Act and the directions of the High Court. The fees fixed at the whims of the committee were so meager and did not take into account the individual status of each and every school, the petitioner contended.Jayamata Charitable Trust, running a CBSE school in Nazarethpet near Poonamallee, has filed a similar petition. Among other things, the Trust contended that CBSE schools could not be brought under the purview of the Committee.
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