Parents of students to protest ‘unjust’ fee hike on October 10 in Mumbai

Several parents of students from the city are planning to join the nationwide protest against unjust fees charged by private schools on October 10.

Several parents of students from the city are planning to join the nationwide protest against unjust fees charged by private schools on October 10.

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As part of the protest organised by the Forum for Fairness in Education, a city-based NGO that works in education, parents and students of private schools are urged to bang plates from their homes between 7am to 7.05am on October 10.

“The issue of indiscriminate fee hike is affecting parents across the country; especially in the current situation, as parents are facing pay cuts and job losses. It is becoming difficult to pay the hiked fees. We are urging the governments to take strict action against such schools,” said Jayant Jain, president of Forum for Fairness in Education.

Parents of several schools in Mumbai had written to the state education department complaining about the indiscriminate fee hikes levied by schools. In September, the department formed two panels and are now in the process of inspecting these schools.

Parents said that with schools not willing to have a discussion with them, they are having a tough time opposing hikes. “Schools are resorting to all sorts of unjust practices such as removing students from online classes, charging late fees to parents etc. Children are already stressed in the transition to online learning, and schools are adding to the pressure,” said the parent of a school in Central Mumbai.