School fee hike: DC pulls up 2 private schools

Despite repeated reminders from the DC office, no representative came forward to have a table talk with parents from Bal Bharti Public School.

Parents representing four private schools on Thursday met Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal over the exorbitant hike in school fee.
Aggarwal pulled up Sacred Heart Convent School, Bhattiyan, and Sacred Heart Convent School, Jamalpur (Sector 39), and told their representatives to solve the issue with parents latest by Monday, or else a written complaint would be sent to the Punjab government against the schools.

Despite repeated reminders from the DC office, no representative came forward to have a table talk with parents from Bal Bharti Public School. The DC has now ordered immediate action against the school after hearing tales of children being harassed. He has recommended the case to Assistant Commissioner of Police Harsh Bansal to do an investigation and a team will also be sent to the school for a thorough investigation into the claims made by the parents.

Talking to Newsline, Inderpal Singh Chawla, a parent from Bal Bharti Public School, said, “They have made the lives of children difficult. They are writing fee defaulter remark on answer sheets of our children and punishments are being given for no reason. Annual charges were increased by 40% last year and now again they have increased by 22% more. After a hike of 15% in school monthly fee, the total amount stands at Rs 47,000 which is not at all affordable. They are mentally harassing children by writing ‘fee defaulter’ on their exam sheets. Even fans are switched off in classrooms deliberately.”

Rajinder Ghai, president of the Parents Association (regd), Ludhiana, said, “Today we told the entire situation to DC in detail and he has ordered immediate action. We have suffered a lot and now this has to stop.”

Divya Goyal

Divya Goyal is a Principal Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in Chadigarh. She is widely recognized for her human-interest storytelling and in-depth investigative reporting on social and political issues in the region. Professional Profile Experience: With over 13 years in journalism, she joined The Indian Express in 2012. She previously worked with Hindustan Times. Education: A gold medalist in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi. Core Beats: She covers a diverse range of subjects, including gender issues, education, the Sikh diaspora, heritage, and the legacy of the Partition. She has also reported on minority communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Awards and Recognition Divya has earned significant acclaim for her sensitivity toward gender and social disparities: Laadli Media Award (2020): For her investigative report "Punjab: The Invisible Drug Addicts," which exposed the gender disparity in treating women addicts. Laadli Media Award (2023): For a ground report on the struggles of two girls who had to ride a boat to reach their school in a border village of Punjab. Signature Style Divya is known for "humanizing the news." Rather than just reporting on policy, she often focuses on the individuals affected by it—such as students dealing with exam stress, farmers struggling with diversification, or families impacted by crime. Her work often bridges the gap between West (Pakistan) and East (India) Punjab, exploring shared heritage and common struggles. X (Twitter): @DivyaGoyal_ ... Read More

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