Yogi assures Ghaziabad parents of solution on fees hike

The CM was about to deliver a speech at Kavi Nagar Ramlila Ground in Ghaziabad where he had arrived to lay the foundation stone for the ‘Kailash Mansarovar Yatra Bhavan,’ when a group of parents emerged from the huge gathering and held posters to draw the attention of CM Yogi

Uttar Pradesh chief minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath on Thursday took cognizance of the protest raised by a group of parents who wanted him to look into the issue of ‘arbitrary’ fee hike by private schools in the state.

The parents of children studying in private schools have been agitating against the issue of ‘arbitrary’ fee hike and have also met district administration several times to resolve the issue. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The CM was about to deliver a speech at Kavi Nagar Ramlila Ground in Ghaziabad where he had arrived to lay the foundation stone for the ‘Kailash Mansarovar Yatra Bhavan,’ when a group of parents emerged from the huge gathering and held posters to draw the attention of CM Yogi, Ghaziabad MP General (retd) VK Singh and other MLAs present on the dais. The parents, including mothers of students, held placards, handwritten posters and flaunted them towards the dais where the CM was going to deliver a speech.

“We went there as parents, as the issue of fee hike has been affecting a large number of parents. There have been protests and number of meetings but officials have not been able to rein in private schools on the issue of the fee hike. Children were also present at the venue. Our intention was to seek assurance from the person who can take a decision in the matter,” said Priyanka Rana, a parent.

As the parents stood up amid the gathering, General (retd) Singh intervened and asked the parents to meet him after the function. However, the parents held their ground and some of them also faced the ire of Bharatiya Janata Party supporters present in the venue.

“Our posters and the memorandum we had prepared were torn but we stayed calm and simply stood at the venue. We did not raise slogans and remained calm. We made handmade posters with slogans and brought them along,” said Ritesh Mohan, a parent.

After the parents held their ground for nearly 20 minutes, CM Yogi Adityanath addressed them. “I see that some parents have arrived to show their pain. We have formed a committee and a report will soon be received. I have no hesitation in telling that their issue of fee hike will definitely be resolved and assure them that there is a resolution,” CM Yogi said.

“I believe that governments are for finding solutions. If you have believed in PM Modi and Amit Shah, you should be assured that your problems will be resolved. You should have patience,” he said.

The parents of children studying in private schools have been agitating against the issue of ‘arbitrary’ fee hike and have also met district administration several times to resolve the issue. There have also been instances where nearly 50 students were issued transfer certificates by schools as the parents denied paying the ‘hiked’ fee and demanded justification. The schools said that the TCs were issued as parents were not ready to pay fees under different heads.