After a Class 7 student appealed to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for a fee waiver, he assured her support — paving the way for her dream of becoming an IAS officer.
“Either your fees will be waived, or we will arrange the amount,” Adityanath told the student, news agency PTI reported.
However, despite the chief minister's assurance that the girl would face no obstacles in her education, the school management refused to pardon her fees, according to an NDTV report.
The school is run by RSS's education wing Vidya Bharati, and charges a monthly fee of ₹1,650 for Class 7, reported NDTV. Pankhuri has outstanding dues of about ₹18,000.
The student, Pankhuri Tripathi, said the school told her that there was no such provision. "I had gone to the chief minister with a fee pardon request. He gave me a chocolate and assured me that it would be done. But when I went to school with my father, they misbehaved with us," Pankhuri said.
She added that the school management had told them that if more people asked for such waivers, the institution would not be able to function. “They said they have to pay teachers,” Pankuri said, as per NDTV.
{{/usCountry}}She added that the school management had told them that if more people asked for such waivers, the institution would not be able to function. “They said they have to pay teachers,” Pankuri said, as per NDTV.
{{/usCountry}}Pankhuri's father, Rajiv Kumar Tripathi, had suffered a leg injury, following which he lost his job. “When I was at home during the pandemic, I slipped off the terrace and suffered a leg injury. I lost my job,” Rajiv said.
He said both his children study in English-medium schools, with his son currently in Class 12. Pankhuri was not able to attend school after February given the family's difficulty in paying the fees.
“It is my son's last year in school, so I did not want to disrupt his education. I thought of taking my daughter out of school for a year,” NDTV quoted Rajiv as saying.
However, Rajiv then had the idea of attending the CM's Janata Durbar on July 1, during which Adityanath directed officials to ensure that Pankhuri's education is not affected.
However, when Rajiv took his daughter to the school, the management “misbehaved” with them, saying there was no such provision for a pardon.
‘Truth behind BJP’s slogan': Akhilesh Yadav's jibe at UP CM
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took a jibe at the BJP and CM Adityanath, saying this was the “truth behind BJP's slogan”.
“Those who are busy hoarding, how will they waive or pay someone's fees?,” Yadav said in a post on X.
The SP chief also promised that Pankhuri's education would not stop. “This is the truth of the BJP's fake slogans of 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao'. We urge the BJP not to lie to children,” he said.
However, Pankhuri's family has rested their hopes on the UP CM, with Rajiv Tripathi saying, “…We are associated with the Math and Maharaj ji (Yogi Adityanath) and we believe he will ensure my daughter's education.”