The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed the state government to reimburse the tuition fees of students in the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category at the revised rates prescribed by the government-appointed committee. The court was hearing petitions filed by Chembur-resident Naresh Gosavi and Narayan Guru High School. Gosavi,a vegetable vendor,had moved court last year after his son and two nephews were forced to leave Chembur English School on account of non-payment of the school's dues under a freeship programme granted by the government. The school had moved the court raising the issue of pending dues since April 2007 and that of differential amounts between the tuition fee paid by the state and the fees charged by private schools. The court asked the government to add Rs 226.20 crore to state exchequer's annual budget as suggested by the government committee. However,that was the precise reason for which the state Cabinet had discarded the report of the committee on February 23. The committee has suggested reimbursement at the rate of Rs 100 per month for students in primary section,Rs 150 for students studying in Standard V to VII and Rs 200 for students studying in Standards VIII to X. The government was pulled up for reimbursing tuition fees of SC/ST students in private unaided schools as per the ridiculous rates fixed in 1970 Rs 3,4 and 5 per month for the three categories of students. Will you even get a servant by paying this meager amount? the court asked the government counsel.
