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India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
School fee hike sparks protest by parents in Delhi, demand reforms
Hundreds of parents gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on July 20 to protest against what they called arbitrary fee hikes and lack of transparency in private under the banner of United Parents' Voice (UPV), the protest comes after months of unacknowledged efforts to engage with authorities on the to UPV, this was not the first time parents had tried to reach out. On June 30, 2025, a group waited for over three hours to meet Delhi Chief Minister Rekha While a small delegation was granted a brief interaction and promised further discussion, no follow-up communication occurred despite formal 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 memorandum also objected to the recently passed Fee Regulation Ordinance 2025, which protestors claimed was implemented without sufficient public 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 advocated for all infrastructure purchases to be routed through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to ensure cost-effective and transparent significant demand was for public disclosure of approved fee structures by the Directorate of Education on both government and school 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 reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful civic action and urged the government to initiate an open and transparent dialogue with concerned 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 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
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Parents assembled at Jantar Mantar over private school fee hikes, seek reforms
Hundreds of parents assembled at the Jantar Mantar here on Saturday under the banner of United Parents' Voice (UPV), protesting against alleged arbitrary fee hikes, demanding greater financial transparency and accountability in the private education sector. Parents said their repeated appeals to authorities had gone unanswered, compelling them to take to the streets once again, a statement from UPV (a parent group) said. The protest followed an earlier attempt to engage with the Delhi government on June 30 when a group of parents waited for more than three hours to meet Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. While a small delegation was granted a brief meeting and assured of further dialogue, they said no follow-up communication was received despite formal reminders, it added. Parents submitted a detailed memorandum addressed to the lieutenant governor, chief minister and education minister, reiterating concerns over unapproved fee hikes, alleged misuse of school funds and violations of student rights. They also expressed their opposition to the recently passed Fee Regulation Ordinance, 2025, which they claimed was enacted without adequate public consultation. The memorandum called for a rollback of unratified fee increases, independent audits by the comptroller and auditor general and forensic experts and government-supervised elections for parent-teacher associations to ensure more inclusive school governance, the statement said. It also urged authorities to act against schools that allegedly shame or penalise students over fee issues, a practice parents said violates the right to education under Article 21A of the Constitution. The protesting parents further demanded that schools be mandated to follow a monthly fee collection system, citing the financial strain caused by advance lump-sum payments. They also advocated for infrastructure procurement through the government e-marketplace (GeM) portal to ensure cost-effective and transparent spending. According to the statement, another key demand was the public disclosure of fee structures approved by the Directorate of Education on both government and school websites. Rahul Gupta, a parent and member of UPV said the protest was an outcome of continued silence from the administration. '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. The group said that their concerns had also been communicated earlier through email and speed post to the president, prime minister, and union home minister, seeking urgent intervention. UPV reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful civic action and appealed to the government to initiate an open dialogue with parents.
News18
3 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Parents protest at Jantar Mantar over private school fee hikes, seek reforms
New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI) Hundreds of parents assembled at the Jantar Mantar here on Saturday under the banner of United Parents' Voice (UPV), protesting against alleged arbitrary fee hikes, demanding greater financial transparency and accountability in the private education sector. Parents said their repeated appeals to authorities had gone unanswered, compelling them to take to the streets once again, a statement from UPV (a parent group) said. The protest followed an earlier attempt to engage with the Delhi government on June 30 when a group of parents waited for more than three hours to meet Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. While a small delegation was granted a brief meeting and assured of further dialogue, they said no follow-up communication was received despite formal reminders, it added. Parents submitted a detailed memorandum addressed to the lieutenant governor, chief minister and education minister, reiterating concerns over unapproved fee hikes, alleged misuse of school funds and violations of student rights. They also expressed their opposition to the recently passed Fee Regulation Ordinance, 2025, which they claimed was enacted without adequate public consultation. The memorandum called for a rollback of unratified fee increases, independent audits by the comptroller and auditor general and forensic experts and government-supervised elections for parent-teacher associations to ensure more inclusive school governance, the statement said. It also urged authorities to act against schools that allegedly shame or penalise students over fee issues, a practice parents said violates the right to education under Article 21A of the Constitution. The protesting parents further demanded that schools be mandated to follow a monthly fee collection system, citing the financial strain caused by advance lump-sum payments. They also advocated for infrastructure procurement through the government e-marketplace (GeM) portal to ensure cost-effective and transparent spending. According to the statement, another key demand was the public disclosure of fee structures approved by the Directorate of Education on both government and school websites. Rahul Gupta, a parent and member of UPV said the protest was an outcome of continued silence from the administration. '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. The group said that their concerns had also been communicated earlier through email and speed post to the president, prime minister, and union home minister, seeking urgent intervention. UPV reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful civic action and appealed to the government to initiate an open dialogue with parents. PTI SHB OZ OZ view comments First Published: July 19, 2025, 22:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Print
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Parents protest at Jantar Mantar over private school fee hikes, seek reforms
The protest followed an earlier attempt to engage with the Delhi government on June 30 when a group of parents waited for more than three hours to meet Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. Parents said their repeated appeals to authorities had gone unanswered, compelling them to take to the streets once again, a statement from UPV (a parent group) said. New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI) Hundreds of parents assembled at the Jantar Mantar here on Saturday under the banner of United Parents' Voice (UPV), protesting against alleged arbitrary fee hikes, demanding greater financial transparency and accountability in the private education sector. While a small delegation was granted a brief meeting and assured of further dialogue, they said no follow-up communication was received despite formal reminders, it added. Parents submitted a detailed memorandum addressed to the lieutenant governor, chief minister and education minister, reiterating concerns over unapproved fee hikes, alleged misuse of school funds and violations of student rights. They also expressed their opposition to the recently passed Fee Regulation Ordinance, 2025, which they claimed was enacted without adequate public consultation. The memorandum called for a rollback of unratified fee increases, independent audits by the comptroller and auditor general and forensic experts and government-supervised elections for parent-teacher associations to ensure more inclusive school governance, the statement said. It also urged authorities to act against schools that allegedly shame or penalise students over fee issues, a practice parents said violates the right to education under Article 21A of the Constitution. The protesting parents further demanded that schools be mandated to follow a monthly fee collection system, citing the financial strain caused by advance lump-sum payments. They also advocated for infrastructure procurement through the government e-marketplace (GeM) portal to ensure cost-effective and transparent spending. According to the statement, another key demand was the public disclosure of fee structures approved by the Directorate of Education on both government and school websites. Rahul Gupta, a parent and member of UPV said the protest was an outcome of continued silence from the administration. '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. The group said that their concerns had also been communicated earlier through email and speed post to the president, prime minister, and union home minister, seeking urgent intervention. UPV reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful civic action and appealed to the government to initiate an open dialogue with parents. PTI SHB OZ OZ This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
CSIR to launch Rs 100 sickle cell anaemia test kit in 6 months
Pune: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will launch an affordable screening test kit for sickle cell anaemia in six months. The PCR-based test kit, which would be priced under Rs 100, has been developed by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology — a laboratory under CSIR. CSIR director-general N Kalaiselvi, who inaugurated a conference in the city on Friday, shared this development. Speaking on the sidelines of the National Scientists Round Table Conference 2025 at MIT World Peace University, she said the test, using one drop of blood, can screen patients for the disease in less than 30 minutes. 'Many research institutes, including ICMR and CSIR, have worked on this kit. With just a drop of blood put in a polymerase chain reaction test (PCR) kit developed by CSIR; one can understand in 20-30 minutes whether an individual is a patient, a carrier, or at risk of contracting sickle cell anaemia,' Kalaiselvi said. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune She said the test will cost between Rs 87 and Rs 93, and will be available on the Union govt's Govt e-Marketplace (GeM) portal. On AI in healthcare Kalaiselvi said the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in many of CSIR's labs in India could be a gamechanger; she said AI will be a very helpful addition to the healthcare sector. The CSIR director-general also touched upon the trend of scientists being encouraged to establish their own startups. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 11 Foods That Help In Healing Knee Pain Naturally Undo She said in India, senior scientists or principal investigators often encourage younger colleagues to launch their own startups. 'This is how spin-off startups have begun in India, and scientists are moving in that direction in a big way. Youngsters have that fire in the belly; they want to have their own startups, so they will be the driving force,' she said. 'As India marches toward its 2047 (Viksit Bharat) vision, it's clear that science, technology, and innovation will be the real engines of national growth. What's truly inspiring is the mindset shift among students; they're not just seeking jobs, they're building startups and creating employment. This silent revolution is made possible through science and must be nurtured,' she added. The conference will host 36 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar and INSA awardees, directors of premier national and regional laboratories, eminent academicians, and senior scientists from across diverse research and industrial sectors.
