Parents’ body protests against private schools charging fees

Ranchi: Members of Jharkhand Abhibhawak Sangh (JAS), an outfit of parents, on Friday staged a three-hour fast at Bapu Vatika in Morhabadi ground demanding waiver of fees at private schools for the period of lockdown.
The parents also demanded setting up of a single education board for the entire country and proper implementation of the Jharkhand government order issued on June 25 which directed private schools to charge only the tuition fees and prevented them from asking for fees under other heads for the period of lockdown.
JAS president Ajay Rai said, “Despite the government’s order, several schools are applying pressure on parents for payment of fees under all heads.” He added, “Similar protests were held in other parts of the state, including Bokaro, Dhanbad and Giridih and in different parts of the country like Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.”
Rai reiterated that a large number of parents, particularly those engaged in the private sector jobs, were rendered unemployed and their economic condition deteriorated during the lockdown.
JAS also submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Hemant Soren and others through an e-mail and requested proper direction to the ministry of human resource development for justice to the parents and their wards.
The protesters also demanded discontinuation of online sessions for Classes I to VIII. “The government should allot time on Doordarshan for conducting classes for students of CBSE and ICSE,” opined one of the protesters. The parents also sought renovation of government schools and restoration of quality education in them and strict implementation of NCERT courses in private schools.