Do not fall for false fee reduction claims, education department urges parents

Two days after several parents from Mumbai had raised an alarm about a company promising up to a 50% discount in private school fees because of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, the office of the deputy director of the education department for the Mumbai region, Maharashtra, has warned them about the scam.

On September 26, HT had reported about a complaint filed by a group of parents against a private company called Pride Group, which had claimed to have a tie-up with the state government and promised to pay up to 50% of fees of private schools on behalf of parents.

The company had promised discounts depending on the fee that a private school charges.

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In lieu, parents were asked to pay Rs 2,500 to the personal account of one of the heads of the company.

The deputy director of education department for the Mumbai region took cognisance of the complaint and issued a circular.

“There is no such fee reduction scheme by the state/Central government for private schools as stated by the company. Parents are requested not to trust such companies and should not provide any details and documents to them,” the circular stated.

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Anil Sabale, deputy director of the education for the Mumbai region, said, “We have uploaded the circular on our website and have also urged private schools and parents not to trust such schemes. The post, which is doing the rounds on social media, is claiming that the group has an association with the state government. It is fake information.”

Parents are also wary of the fake promises made by the company.

“Many parents have lost their money and have also given their documents. This is a risky business, especially at a time when parents are already struggling to pay their children’s school fees because of the contagion. We are planning to lodge a police complaint in this matter,” said a parent.

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