Ranchi, Jan. 25: Parents, for the first time in the city, have formed an organisation today to protest against “exorbitant” school fees that they have to pay from the next academic year.
Some 100 guardians assembled at Bihar Club this afternoon to set up the Ranchi Abhivavak Manch with the aim to check any move to put extra financial burden on them by the management of various private city schools.
Parents assembled at the two-hour meeting, which started at 3pm, decided to convey their message to the respective school management.
Shailesh Kumar Sinha, the general secretary of the district Congress, who has three school-going children, was one of the most vocal parents at the meeting.
“We will go to any extent to restrain the school management from hiking the fees, taking pretext of the Sixth Pay Commission. The school management does not pay proper salary to its teachers, even after collecting exorbitant fees from us,” Sinha said.
Another agitated parent was Sambhu Nath, a resident of Bariatu Housing Colony, having four school-going children. He said that he would not hesitate to knock the door of Raj Bhavan to put a check on the decision taken by the school management.
“We will stage dharna and take out procession in the city. If required, we will call a Ranchi bandh and request Raj Bhavan to intervene, but not pay an extra rupee to the school management,” he said, while more than 50 parents supported him.
The parents will meet on January 27 again at the same place to decide the proper line of action against the school management. On the day, they will also elect their office-bearers.
Pankaj Kumar Singh, who came from Bandhgari, said that the association would also launch agitation against the conditions set by schools, restricting parents from purchasing books and uniform from the shops of their choices. “Though people, running the schools, are respected as social workers, they behave live businessmen. We will expose them and try to ensure availability of quality education affordable to all,” Singh added.
However, Delhi Public School principal Mahesh Bereja refused to comment on the stand taken by the parents.
He said that “fee hike is the need of hour, as the school management has to pay teachers according to recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission”.
Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com
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