Harried by an exponential increase in the tuition fees charged by her daughter’s private school, Meena Singhal, who runs a food stall near her rented home in Shadipur, decided to shift her to a Delhi government school in Class X.

Her application was, however, rejected by the deputy director (Education) in-charge of the Patel Nagar area.

“The school principal and the Education department officials told us that admission to Class X was against the rules,” said Singhal.

Her daughter Kritika scored 85 per cent in her Class IX annuals at the Happy Senior School, Kirti Nagar. The Capital’s Education director Chandra Bhushan Kumar, however, said there were no rules against admitting students to any class. “The only problem a school might have is the non-availability of seats,” Kumar added.

Singhal, meanwhile, says both the government and private schools are working against the interest of students.

“We cannot afford to pay the huge amount of fees private schools are demanding. Now, even the government schools are refusing to take in our children. Where do parents go?” asked Singhal at a meeting organised by the Delhi Abhibhavak Mahasangh.

Several parents from various parts of the city came together on Tuesday afternoon to register their protest against the government-approved fee hike and subsequent action by private schools at the meeting called by the Delhi Abhibhavak Mahasangh (DAM) at Chelmsford Club in Connaught Place.

The meeting was a platform for members of the DAM — formed in 1997 after the Fifth Pay Commission report — to put forth their demand for a change in the Delhi government’s notification allowing private schools to hike their tuition fees.

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