7 hours ago
Protest held demanding fee regulation
Puttaparthi: Led by State student JAC president Amar Yadav, student activists on Wednesday staged a protest in front of the DEO office demanding control over exorbitant fees charged by corporate educational institutions in the drought-affected district.
The protestors alleged that private institutions such as Chaitanya, Narayana, Keshava Reddy, SR, Bhashyam, Era, Montessori Global, and HPS are collecting amounts ranging from Rs 9,000 to Rs 19,000 in the name of textbooks alone. DEO Prasad Babu reportedly verified this by presenting evidence of book prices.
Student leaders criticised public representatives for turning education into business and demanded their resignation. They further alleged that corporate schools are collecting lakhs of rupees under different streams like C-Batch, M-Batch, Techno IPL, Olympiad, Spark, IIT, and Learning International.
Protesters highlighted lack of playgrounds in these schools, stating that many institutions operate from five or six story buildings, which is against safety norms. They questioned the DEO as to who will be held accountable in case of accidents and demanded strict enforcement of regulations.
In response, DEO Prasad Babu assured that action would be taken against schools violating norms based on the complaints brought forward.
