To give more impetus to their struggle against the private schools ‘Shiksha Jan Sangharsh Abhiyan’ (SJSA) the association of many social and political organisations formed a joint agitation coordination committee on Thursday. Addressing newsmen here on Thursday the president of Uttarakhand Mahila Morcha Kamla Pant said that SJSA would also form a State-level advisory team to guide the agitation against the hegemony of private schools.
She said that 31 social and political outfits have so far joined SJSA and the agitation would end only when the State Government accepts all their demands. The SJSA is demanding the State Government to issue a Government Order (GO) to impose an immediate moratorium on fees increase by the private schools and should declare donation a cognizable offense.
These organisations are also of the view that to improve the standard of Government schools all those who are drawing money from Government treasury should compulsorily send their wards to the government schools. Pant accused the State Government for being hand in glove with the wealthy owners of the private schools.
She informed that SJSA would undertake a massive ‘Shiksha Adhikar Rally’ on April 24 to protest against the apathetic attitude of state government towards the harassment of common people by the private schools. The SJSA has also decided to constitute Uttarakhand Student Parent Teacher Association (USPTA) in all the private schools of the state. These units would be associated with the existing Parent Teacher Association (PTA) in these schools.
The members included in the 42 member coordination committee are Kamla Pant, Hari Bhandari, Jagmohan Mehendirata, Anil Gandhi, TS Aswal, Nirmala Bisht, Sanjay Bhatt and Indresh Maikhuri.