E-Paper
In symbolic protest, parents beg outside Ludhiana DC office for school fee
Earlier, on May 20, over 100 parents had held a protest outside Merry Mint Public High School, Amar Nagar, alleging that the school authorities had been them asking to pay the tuition and admission fee for April and May.
In a symbolic protest, the members of parents association and revolutionary parents association, Punjab, begged outside the deputy commissioner (DC) office, Ludhiana, seeking funds to pay for their children’s private school fee, on Friday.
Over 25 members gathered outside the mini secretariat and also submitted a memorandum to the DC, urging him to ask schools not to charge any fee for the academic session 2020-21.
KG Sharma, convener, parents association, Punjab, and Bhagwant Singh, convener, revolutionary parents association, said that the government should declare “no school fees for session 2020-21”.
The government should also come up with a special financial package and scheme for online education and its promotion through government institutions without any fee and should pass an order for exemption of all school fees, admission fees and other charges for the entire session, they added.
Sharma said, “Owing to the Covid-19 situation, it is very difficult for the general public to meet their day to day household expenses. It will have a drastic effect on the whole financial year.”
Yadwinder Kaur, a member of the revolutionary parents association, said, “Parents are receiving messages from private schools to pay the increased tuition fee along with other charges.”
“We have come here to request the DC to direct schools to exempt all types of fee for this session. Authorities of private schools are even demanding computer fee from parents. How can they demand computer fees when schools are closed,” she said.
“Only a few parents have gathered here today as we wanted to avoid a mass gathering. If the state government doesn’t direct schools to exempt the fee for the entire session, we will protest and go on a hunger strike,” she said.
LIP SEEKS FEE WAIVER; ACCUSES PRIVATE SCHOOLS OF LOOTING PARENTS
Raising a voice against private schools that are forcing parents to pay school fee pertaining to the lockdown period, the leaders of the Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) submitted a memorandum with the deputy commissioner (DC) Pradeep Agrawal on Friday.
LIP district president Baldev Singh said that earlier private schools used to loot the parents by charging building fee and other charges and now they have started asking for fee pertaining to lockdown period.
“Every person is struggling to cater to daily needs. How will the parents submit fee for the months of April and May,” questioned Baldev Singh while adding that the state government should waive off the school fee for the lockdown period.
Earlier, on May 20, over 100 parents had held a protest outside Merry Mint Public High School, Amar Nagar, alleging that the school authorities had been them asking to pay the tuition and admission fee for April and May.
On May 18, the members of the Youth Akali Dal and residents had staged a protest against the state government for asking people to pay electricity bills and school fees during the lockdown in Dugri.
