PUNE: As two educationists, who were members of the Bansal committee, skipped all seven meetings, a crucial part of the report on fees in private schools was prepared without taking into account the independent views of educationists. These two members have not even signed the report.

Even as voices of dissent on recommendations of the committee get sharper and stronger, more facts about the committee are coming to the fore, reflecting poorly on its functioning. The committee, headed by former bureaucrat Kumud Bansal, had 20 other members. It was dominated by school representatives as 10 members were connected to educational institutes in one way or the other. Parents had three representatives, while two educationists, Ramesh Panse and Shabanam Sinha, were also members. Panse attended the first meeting, but skipped the remaining six for health reasons. He had undergone angioplasty in that period. The reasons for Sinha's absence could not be known.

The committee, after initial meetings, formed two sub-groups. The four-member subgroup I - Panse being one of the members - was to finalise norms for the fee structure, the most crucial part of the report. Symbiosis principal director Vidya Yeravdekar was convener of the group and BD Somani International School director Aradhana Somani,  IB representative for South Asia Farzana Dohadwala were the other members.

Yeravdekar could not attend six meetings of the committee owing to her busy schedule. It could not be confirmed if she chaired meetings of the subgroup as she was not available for comments despite repeated attempts to contact her.

A copy of Yeravdekar’s letter to Bansal suggests that she might have skipped meetings of subgroup I too. In this case, with Panse being absent, only two members deliberated and drafted the report of the sub-group, which was reproduced in toto in the final report.

When asked about allegations that educationists handled the issue rather casually, Panse said, “I have genuine justification for my absence. I got calls from members of the sub-group but was unable to attend meetings due to the heart problem.”

Unlike Yeravdekar, who received minutes of meetings of the committee, Panse was in the dark about the proceedings.

“I have not seen the report of the committee till this date. And more importantly, the report does not have my signature. It means I have not yet endorsed recommendations of the committee,” Panse added.

 When asked if he supports recommendations, Panse said, “I am not in favour of complete autonomy to schools in deciding the fees. It may result in unbridled profiteering. At the same time, I don’t agree to all-pervasive government controls. We need to tread middle path.”