Parents8217; stir keeps students out of classes

SURAT, June 16: Parents of students studying in primary schools run by Sarvajanik Education Society continued to disrupt classes to protest ...

SURAT, June 16: Parents of students studying in primary schools run by Sarvajanik Education Society continued to disrupt classes to protest against fee hike even as the District Education Officer has dubbed the hike as illegal.

The Parents Association was, however, not successful in disrupting classes in Experimental School, a prestigious school run by the society in the plush Parle Point area, for the second day. In fact, parents of children studying in that school have rarely joined the strike calls given by the Parents Association in the past.

They are agitating in protest against the hike in tuition fees from Rs 138 to Rs 205. The affected schools were V T Choksi School, Gopipura Middle School, J C Munshi School, Kadiwala Bunki, Nanpura T amp; T V and Balaji Girls School. DEO Punambhai Patel said he had rejected the society8217;s application for effecting a fee hike and hence it was not authorised to collect any extra fee. Parents association president Rajesh Trivedi said the agitation was successful for the second day on Tuesday and it would continue till the fee hike was reduced.

Society chairman Ramesh Oza told Express Newsline that the application for allowing it to hike the fee was sent to the DEO8217;s office about two months ago. Without assigning any reason the DEO rejected the application last week, he stated. Though he was supposed to assign reason for his action he simply returned the application along with the other documents sent to him.

Oza said the society had decided to again send to him all the documents justifying the society8217;s position. He said the minimum fee hike was Rs 165 and Rs 40 was added to neutralise the additional burden posed by implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission report.

Though it is highly unlikely that the recommendations will not be implemented in private schools, the society was ready to return Rs 40 per student as and when the government decision is known, Oza pointed out.

This is the third successive year when the society has increased fees in its primary schools. But both in 1996 and 1997 the fee hike was reduced after parents took to the streets and prominent citizens and state government intervened.

Story continues below this ad

Oza claimed on both occasions the society had backed down from the hike and struck a compromise under duress. He said for the last two years the society had incurred losses to the tune of Rs 58 lakh. There was tremendous pressure on the society and it decided to compromise involuntarily. Parents say they are ready for a reasonable hike but a steep hike of Rs 66 was too cumbersome.Meanwhile, an ugly situation was averted at a school run by Mahajan Anath Ashram in Kataragam area when angry parents pelted stones at the school building, breaking window panes and terrorising the management to protest against a fee hike. The Katargam Police who were alerted by someone reached there in time and prevented the situation from worsening.

Parents association members said they were in touch with parents from schools other than those run by the society and where fee was increased.