Chennai school scraps dual fee structure, denies sacking principal

Chennai: Under fire for introducing a dual fee structure, the Bala Vidya Mandir school here announced on Thursday that the same has been scrapped.

Addressing a press conference, the new principal of the school, S Sujatha, said that the dual fee structure has been scrapped and only a uniform fee structure will be followed now.

“It has been agreed that we will implement one single curriculum and a uniform fee structure,” Sujatha informed in the wake of protests by parents of students enrolled at the school.

It has not been our intention to discriminate among students, she added.

She denied that Srinivasa Raghavan, who was yesterday removed as the school's principal in the wake of the controversy, has been sacked.

The principal has only been transferred to another BVM school, she added.

She also refuted reports that all nine head of departments and vice-principals of the school have been dismissed.

She, however, confirmed that the school's CEO SS Nathan has been sacked and that the School Management Committee reconstituted.

The developments came even as the Justice Singaravelu Fee Determination Committee prepared to investigate the irregularities in the fee structure after taking suo motu cognizance of the issue.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), to which the school is affiliated, has also started conducting a separate enquiry into charges of irregularities in fee structure and also the functioning of the school.

The inquiries came after a controversial school circular had emerged in media reports.

The May 25 circular had listed two different fee structures - students who would pay fees finalised by the fee fixing committee (between Rs 35,000 and Rs 39,000) would be allowed to attend only four and a half hours of classes. However, students ready to pay over Rs 50,000 in fees would be allowed access to over 50 additional educational activities.