Pune: School Principal Sparks Outrage with ‘Send Kids to Municipality Schools’ Remark Amid Fee Hike Protest
Reported By Varad Bhatkhande
Aundh, 17th March 2025: “If you can’t afford to pay the fees, send your kids to a municipality school”—these were the shocking words used by the principal of a well-known school in Pune while addressing protesting parents who were opposing the fee hike.
Parents of students at City International School in Aundh began protesting, accusing the school administration of increasing fees for the upcoming academic year without prior notice. The school has suddenly raised fees by ₹12,000 and introduced an additional ₹7,000 charge for extracurricular activities, including sports. Since the school lacks sufficient grounds for sports, parents have demanded that the extracurricular fee be made optional rather than mandatory.
Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha’s (BJYM) Maharashtra General Secretary, Saurabh Kundlik, attempted to mediate between the school administration and the parents. BJYM Pune City Vice President Sagar Pardeshi and Pune City General Secretary Kiran Shinde were also present during the discussions.
Parent-Teacher Association member Nisar Mulla stated, “We didn’t receive any notification from the school about the fee hike. The school claims they called, but we haven’t received any such call. No information was provided to me even during face-to-face meetings.”
Another parent, Shirish Pawar, expressed concern, saying, “The school doesn’t have a ground for sports, yet they are demanding ₹7,000 as sports fees. They plan to use our money to maintain someone else’s ground.”
When addressing the protesting parents, Principal Apurva Patil made a shocking remark. Speaking on stage, she said, “In schools where no extracurricular activities are conducted, you can send your children to those municipality schools.” This statement triggered outrage among the parents.
However, speaking to the media, Apurva Patil defended the school’s decision, stating, “We have increased the fees in accordance with regulations, and we have informed everyone about this.”
