After Ludhiana Improvement Trust, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Harish Rai Dhanda and Deputy Speaker Sat Pal Gosain have decided to swoop on the schools over the fee-hike issue.

The protest on fee-hike had kicked off on February 27 when MGM Public School in Dugri arbitrarily doubled the school fees. Following this, parents held a protest in the city. Later, Hindu Sikh Jagriti Sena started a hunger strike and protest rallies against the fee hike.

The agitated members ended their strike after getting assurance from Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Vikas Garg but nothing has happened till date. The schools which increased fee-structure admitted the children with the same fee structure.

Parveen Dang, president of the NGO, said, “The school mafia is burning a hole in the pockets of the parents. The district administration should curb this menace. The schools earn the commission of 50 to 70% by selling books, uniform and other stationery items and also charge heavily re-admission.”

Talking to Newsline, Dhanda said, “As per the law, we cannot interfere with the working of these institutions. But we can bring them within the parameters of law by framing a law. In Punjab, there is no law to regulate the fee structure of unaided schools and colleges. I will soon propose to the Law Commissioner of Punjab, so that a law could be drafted to check the fee hike.”

Gosain added, “English-medium schools have crossed all the barriers. The increase in fee structure by 30 per cent to 35 per cent is not justified. A poor but a brilliant student can not study in these schools. The schools should roll back the hiked fee. I will also discuss this matter with the Chief Minister.”