Parents protest school fee hike

On Friday,the two stood side by side at Jantar Mantar to mark their protest against the Delhi government’s decision to allow private schools to hike tuition fee.

The protest march against the fee hike was called by Delhi Abhibhavak Mahasangh,a body of parents founded in 1995 when the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations were being implemented. Fourteen seasons on,the organisation is back on the streets as the Sixth Pay Commission comes into effect and the government allowed a Rs 100-500 hike even as private schools demanded a steep increase to raise staff pay.

The Delhi Cabinet passed a decision allowing 20-per cent increase in fees on January 28. And while schools across the city contend the hike is not enough to cover the extra expenses,parents are crying foul at the decision to allow the hike.

“Some schools rake in lakhs of rupees as capital profits every year and the government is allowing them to hike fees by 10 per cent every year. There should be a proper check on how schools are spending the money they charge from students,” Ashok Agarwal,legal advisor to the protesters,said.

Parents meanwhile claimed that less than 40 per cent of the fee charged is spent on students. “How many schools are actually paying teachers as per Pay Commission norms?” asked Vijendar Gupta,president of the organisation and chairman of the MCD Standing Committee.

Sonia Sharma,whose daughter studies at a reputed school in Rohini,said the government’s decision was ill-timed,considering mass layoffs in many sectors in the midst of the economic slowdown. “The recession has already played havoc with finances of the middle class and private sector employees are facing salary cuts,” Sharma said. “How can the government allow schools to charge more at this juncture?” Anju Kapoor,a homemaker from Punjabi Bagh,said the government has lowered prices of petrol and diesel and bailed out farmers in this season of doom — “can’t they do something about education?”

Parents also complained that they are forced to shell out high fees in private schools as government schools are “no good”. Kamla Devi said: “My granddaughter failed four times in a government school,so I have put the other grandchildren in a private school. But they charge Rs 3,000 every month; we can barely keep up with the payments.”

Women from her locality had similar tales to tell. “I am illiterate so I wanted to give my children good education,” said Santosh,who also makes her living as a vegetable vendor,“but government schools do not teach the children anything. So I had to put my children in a private school.”

Delhi Abhibhavak Mahasangh is demanding that findings of the Bansal Committee,constituted to look into the fee hike issue,be made public. It also wants the government to examine financial records of each private,unaided school.