School fee hike sparks protest by parents in Delhi, demand reforms
While a small delegation was granted a brief interaction and promised further discussion, no follow-up communication occurred despite formal reminders.As part of the protest, parents submitted a detailed memorandum addressed to the Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister, and Education Minister, highlighting several key concerns. These included unauthorised fee hikes, alleged misuse of school funds, and violations of student rights.The memorandum also objected to the recently passed Fee Regulation Ordinance 2025, which protestors claimed was implemented without sufficient public consultation.KEY DEMANDS RAISED BY PARENTSAmong the major demands listed were:Rollback of unratified fee increasesIndependent audits by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and forensic expertsGovernment-supervised parent-teacher association (PTA) elections for inclusive governanceAction against schools that shame or penalise students over unpaid fees, in violation of Article 21A of the ConstitutionParents also called for schools to shift to a monthly fee collection system, stating that lump-sum payments put undue financial pressure on families.They advocated for all infrastructure purchases to be routed through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to ensure cost-effective and transparent spending.Another significant demand was for public disclosure of approved fee structures by the Directorate of Education on both government and school websites.UPV CALLS FOR FAIRNESS AND DIALOGUEAccording to Rahul Gupta, a parent and UPV member, the protest reflected the community's frustration after exhausting all formal channels.'We have tried all channels, emails, meetings, even written representations to the highest offices. Today's gathering is a collective call for fairness and dignity in our children's education,' he said.UPV reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful civic action and urged the government to initiate an open and transparent dialogue with concerned parents.The group also mentioned that earlier appeals had been sent via email and speed post to the President, Prime Minister, and Union Home Minister, seeking immediate intervention.As parents continue to push for greater accountability in private education, they have vowed to persist with peaceful advocacy until meaningful reforms are achieved.(With inputs from PTI)- EndsMust Watch
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
16 hours ago
- The Print
Modi govt has ‘consistent policy of betrayal' for J&K: Cong
Also, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, along with Kharge, met and deliberated with party leaders from Jammu and Kashmir at Indira Bhawan here. His remarks came after Congress' Jammu and Kashmir unit staged a protest at Jantar Mantar here, demanding restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory. New Delhi, Jul 22 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday alleged that the Modi government has a 'consistent policy of betrayal' for Jammu and Kashmir, and asserted that people of J&K deserve full statehood. The Congress is fully dedicated to protecting the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and their interests, Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on Facebook after addressing the gathering. Posting pictures on X from the gathering, Kharge said the people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve full statehood, and added that it is their constitutional right. 'We have written to the PM demanding the same. Modi Govt has a consistent policy of betrayal for Jammu and Kashmir,' he said. Kharge said the Pahalgam terror attack is a grim reminder of intelligence failure. 'We stand strongly with the people of J&K, demanding adequate compensation and protection for them, especially those families who have lost their loved ones in cross-border shelling. They are martyrs,' he said. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee is on the streets fighting for the people, he said. 'It is the duty of every Congress worker to strengthen the organisation. Your determination can go a long way in changing the lives of the people in this beautiful border region,' the party chief said. Congress general secretary (organisation), K C Venugopal, AICC in-charge of J&K Naseer Hussain and J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra, among others, took part in the protest at Jantar Mantar. 'Jammu and Kashmir is the first instance of a state being downgraded into a Union Territory. Such democratic backsliding and insult to the people of a state is unacceptable,' Venugopal said in a post on X after the protest. 'J&KPCC is protesting at Jantar Mantar, to demand restoration of full statehood to J&K. I joined in the protest and spoke about the need to defend the Constitution and restore the dignity of the people of J&K. The promises made in Parliament must be fulfilled without delay,' he said. The Congress on Sunday said the party will raise the demand for restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir in the Monsoon session of Parliament. Kharge and Gandhi had last week written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press for a legislation in the Monsoon session to grant full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. In their joint letter to Modi, Kharge and Gandhi had said that for the past five years, the people of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir have consistently called for the restoration of full statehood. This demand is both legitimate and firmly grounded in their constitutional and democratic rights, they had said. PTI ASK KVK KVK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Indian Express
16 hours ago
- Indian Express
As Uttar Pradesh merges schools, longer walks, safety fears keep some away
Unlike Class 3 student Manoj Yadav,7, who is sitting at his assigned seat at the Patti Kalyanpur primary school in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur on a weekday afternoon, his sister Laxmi, 7, also a student of Class 3, hasn't been attending classes since July 1. On July 1, the sole primary school in their village Abbas Nagar, 1 km away, was 'paired' with the bigger Kalyanpur school. While Manoj walks with a group of students from their village to the Kalyanpur school daily, his parents feel the path is unsafe for Laxmi. In line with a recent directive by the Basic Education Department under the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, which emphasises greater collaboration, coordination and sharing of resources among institutions, since July 1, over 10,000 government primary schools across Uttar Pradesh have been 'paired' with nearby schools with better facilities. While similar exercises aimed at rationalising resources have been carried out in other states too, UP government officials insist the schools in the state are not being merged but 'paired'. 'Unlike mergers, where schools cease to exist, paired schools can be shifted back to their original buildings in case of overcrowding at the new ones,' said a district-level education officer. However, the Opposition — from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati — has opposed the move, saying it will 'deprive' future generations, particularly those from the backward, Dalit and minority communities, of their right to accessible and affordable education. The policy has also prompted protests from teachers' associations and parents, with petitions being filed against it in the Allahabad High Court. Upholding the state's decision, the court had on July 7 said the move did not violate Article 21A (right to free and compulsory education for children aged six to 14). The court also said the move aimed to provide children with quality education and equal opportunities since resources in small schools were scattered, depriving children access to adequate teaching staff, libraries, sports and digital learning facilities. Kanchan Verma, Director-General, UP school education, says, 'Of 1.32 lakh government schools in UP (with nearly 1.48 crore students), 10,784 primary schools are being paired.' Officials said these pairings were done keeping in mind multiple factors, including low enrolment and poor infrastructure. Yet, since the recent pairings in UP, teachers say some of their students, especially the girls, haven't been attending classes. While the Abbas Nagar school had 41 students, the Kalyanpur school had 115 students and five teachers, including two Shiksha Mitras, before the pairing. Only 14 of Abbas Nagar students were present at Kalyanpur during a recent visit by The Indian Express. 'Twenty-seven of my students — 16 girls and 11 boys — have not been attending school since the pairing. A few have joined private schools, but most are sitting at home,' says Shiv Kumar, the former head teacher at Abbas Nagar school who now reports to the Kalyanpur school. Staff from old schools have been reporting to the new ones since July 1. Sitting near a bundle of freshly cut fodder, Manoj and Laxmi's aunt Meera, 48, says, 'Manoj went to school, but Laxmi does not want to go.' 'Beech mein jungle hai (there is forest on the way),' Laxmi explains sheepishly. Though the family is yet to take a call on Laxmi's education, Meera says her parents are farm labourers and can't afford to send her to a private school. Like Laxmi, Meenaksi Yadav, a Class 4 student from Abbas Nagar village, has not been going to school since July 1. On a school day, she sits next to her mother Radha, 40, a farm labourer, who says, 'Door pad gaya (the Kalyanpur school is far). She would walk alone to the local school. What if someone does something to her in the woods on the way to Kalyanpur?' A senior education department officer in Lucknow said efforts are on to encourage the students to attend the new schools and that all grievances of parents would be addressed. He adds, 'No one is forcing parents to send their children to the new schools. They can send them to their old school.' However, when The Indian Express visited the Abbas Nagar school at noon on a weekday, its main gate was locked. The government's move has triggered similar fears in Lucknow, where nearly 154 primary schools have been paired. At Paharpur in Malihabad tehsil of rural Lucknow, the primary school has been paired with the school in Baka, nearly 3 km away. With the Right to Education Act mandating that the primary school must be in a 1-km radius of the child's residence, Ram Pravesh, Basic Shiksha Adhikari, Lucknow, says, 'We have asked Block Education Officers to carry out a ground-level feasibility check, including schools located far from a neighbourhood.' Till last year, the Paharpur school had just 28 students. After its three teachers — two assistant teachers and one Shiksha Mitra — started encouraging families to send their children to school, the number rose to 54 this year. Though the Paharpur school was merged with one at Baka due to its 'poor infrastructure', none of its 54 students have been attending school. In Paharpur village, the families cited several reasons for keeping the children away from the Baka school — from increased distance to aggressive stray dogs near a gaushala en route. Before the pairing, Mula Devi's grandchildren, Class 2 student Kunal, 7, and Class 3 student Payal, 8, walked barely 500 metres from home to school. 'We took them to the new school one day, but a stray dog attacked us on the way. We decided the children can't walk to school. If the government doesn't reverse its decision, we will either send them to a private school or they will stay at home,' says Devi, 62. Paharpur teachers say they are trying to encourage the students to attend the new school. 'We started ferrying some students to school on our motorcycles, but the arrangement wasn't sustainable,' says Vijay Kumar Bajpai, the former teacher incharge of the Paharpur school. Even the primary school in Bargadhi, which had 14 students, has been paired with the one at Baka, located around 1 km away. Rahisa Khatoon, an assistant teacher at Bargadhi, says all 14 have been attending classes in Baka. In Malihabad tehsil's Datali village, the primary school had just 39 students. Since it was paired with the school in Bhulsi, located around 2 km away, only 12 have been attending classes. Assistant teacher Farhad Kamal says, 'We are persuading parents to send the children to Bhulsi, but they have their own constraints.' An education official said infrastructure from the merged schools will be used to set up Bal Vatikas (pre-primary schools) across the state. 'Anganwadi centres from nearby areas will be shifted to these Bal Vatikas, which will have one Early Childhood Care and Education teacher, child-friendly furniture, outdoor play areas, learning materials, etc.,' the officer added. Back at the Kalyanpur school, Manoj is among the first to line up outside the gate after the final 2 pm bell. As he waits for the others, he says, 'I try to teach my sister Laxmi what I learn in school, but I forget quite a bit by the time I reach home. I liked going to school with her. I hope our old school reopens soon.' Led by Class 5 student Rachit, the senior-most, all Abbas Nagar students form a queue, hold hands and sing songs as they follow him over a narrow pagdandi (trail) through the fields and a thickly wooded area. 'Agar koi gum gaya, toh sabka school band ho jayega (Even if one of us gets lost, none of us will be allowed to attend school),' says Rachit. Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More
India.com
a day ago
- India.com
Kharge And Rahul Assure Full Support For Restoration Of Statehood To J&K
Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi told the J&K Congress leaders and workers that they completely support the restoration of statehood to J&K. J&K Congress said on X, 'Congress President Mr @kharge ji and Leader of Opposition Mr @RahulGandhi ji interact with JK Congress leaders and workers at Indira Bhawan today.' The Congress leadership has once again reiterated its demand for statehood for Jammu and Kashmir and for including Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule, stating that both issues will be raised in both Houses of Parliament during the Monsoon Session. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi extended their full support to the J&K Congress leaders and workers who had come to the national capital. The J&K Congress leaders and workers today staged a massive protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, led by JKPCC President, Tariq Hameed Karra, CLP Leader G.A. Mir, and AICC General Secretary in-charge of J&K and Ladakh Dr. Syed Naseer Hussain. The protest called for the immediate restoration of full statehood to Jammu & Kashmir and strongly condemned the BJP's undemocratic, authoritarian, and unconstitutional suppression of democratic rights in the region. A Congress spokesman said, A Congress spokesperson said, 'Over 500 Congress workers and leaders from across Jammu & Kashmir travelled to Delhi by buses, raising slogans such as 'Delhi Chalo' and 'Hamari Riyasat Hamara Haq.' Braving long journeys and security restrictions, they came to amplify the voice of the people of the erstwhile state. Carrying placards that read 'Loktantra Bahal Karo', 'Statehood Wapas Karo', and 'Jammu Kashmir Ke Saath Nyaay Karo', the protest featured passionate speeches, patriotic slogans, and a united call to end bureaucratic rule and restore democracy. Addressing the protest at Jantar Mantar, AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K. C. Venugopal said, 'When the Lt. Governor himself admits to grave security lapses in the Pahalgam terror attack, it vindicates our stand. 'Unelected, unaccountable administrators cannot replace a democratically elected government. Jammu & Kashmir deserves its dignity, its Assembly, and its voice. The Congress Party will not rest until democracy is fully restored.' This Delhi protest is part of the Congress party's sustained movement and follows two major demonstrations previously held in Jammu and Srinagar. On Sunday, the Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) organised a major protest at the city centre in Jammu, where PCC president Tariq Hameed Karra and CLP Leader G.A. Mir were detained by police while peacefully demanding statehood, democratic elections, and restoration of constitutional rights. Despite the crackdown, hundreds of Congress workers continued their protest undeterred, reflecting the growing public anger against the BJP's repressive policies. 'On Saturday, the protest was held at the Congress headquarters in Srinagar, where senior leaders addressed a large gathering of grassroots workers who were cordoned off inside the premises by the state machinery,' the Congress spokesperson added.
