Spontaneous agitation of parents in protest against rampant and unregulated fee increase by the private schools of the state is continuing. On Monday parents of the students studying in the DAV public school Defence colony here staged a vociferous agitation against the school administration.
Braving rains, large number of parents assembled outside the school demanded immediate withdrawal of annual charges and development fees levied by the school.
The parents tried to meet the Principal Sarika M Bemby but the school authorities prevented them and called the police. later a delegation of the parents met the Principal in presence of the police. The delegation handed over a memorandum to the Principal and demanded that the school should not charge the development fees and annual charge every year.
The parents also demanded clarity and transparency on admissions of poor students under Right to Education (RTE).
The Principal assured the delegation that she would take up the issue with the management. The parents of the school have formed an association and are determined to continue their agitation till the school accepts their demand. “ We are forced to pay Annual charge which is about Rs 9000 and development fees which is Rs 1800 every year which is wrong. The school has made an increase of 8 percent in the fees this year which is reasonable.
Our demand is that the school should not charge development fee and annual charges every year. We are ready to pay the increased fee which is within our limits. Further we want that the school should follow the order of the State Government on compulsion of NCERT books.
The school authorities are still recommending the text books of private publishers till class VI which is wrong.
The school also insists us to buy the textbooks from a particular shop which also is illegal,’’ said an agitated parent.