Malvani school waives annual fees of 1,000 students

Principal offers support to parents facing joblessness induced by the pandemic

At a time when parents are at loggerheads with the management of private schools over payment of fees, a 35-year-old principal of an English-medium school at Malvani in Malad has waived the annual fees of 1,000 students, amounting to around ₹80 lakh. Holy Star English High School with 1,500 students charges annual fees of ₹7,000 to ₹8,000 per student till Class 7, and up to ₹10,000 till Class 10. However, several parents have been unable to pay the fees due to joblessness induced by the pandemic. “When I came to know that parents of about 1,000 students are not in touch with the school, I reached out to the students to know the reason. I understood that they had not paid the fees for the last year (2020-2021) owing to financial issues,” said Hussain Shaikh, the founder, trustee and principal of the school.