The Odisha Parents’ Associations’ Forum (OPAF) on Saturday staged a rally here in protest against exploitations being meted out to parents by private schools and demanded that the Government enact regulatory laws soon for smooth management of private schools.
Protestors took out a rally from Master Canteen Square to the lower PMG area and staged a protest meeting presided over by OPAF convenor Sanjukta Panigrahi. later a team comprising Panigrahi, joint convenor Madhusudan Biswarl, Baikuntha Prasad Dass, Rakesh Samataray and Rabindra Mohapatra met School and Mass Education Secretary Ranjana Chopra and handed over a 11-point charter of demands.
They demanded that the regulatory laws be enacted in the coming monsoon session of the State Assembly.
The demands including fixing of monthly/yearly fee ceiling, stopping of section systems on the basis of students’ complexion, elimination of differences between rural and urban students, stopping of imposition of cumulative interest on fees, elimination of salary differences between Government and private school teachers, regulation of salary of teachers and employees and appointment of quality and educated teachers to come under control of the Government.
Among others, senior journalist Rabi Das, ‘Sambad’ editor Soumyaranjan Patnaik, Jamakari Milita Manch convenor Jayant Das, RTI movement activist Pradeep Pradhan and parents like Debashis Patnaik, Arjun Samantaray, Sanjeeb Kumar Patra of Jatani, Shankar Sahu of Ganjam, Debraj Mishra of Nimapada participated.