Jamshedpur : A group of parents including six women are an indefinite hunger strike from today in front of DC office to protest against rise in fee structure of private cradles in violation of clauses in the Jharkhand Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011 (Amendment 2012).
Under the banner of Jamshedpur Abhibhavak Sangh Radha Jonko, Suman Bagchi, Gurubari Dhibar, Chanda Dhibar, Barnali Dhibar, Raj Kumari Gope and parent�s outfit president Umesh Kumar are involved in agitation.
�We have no choice but to take this step as our demands before the East Singhbhum deputy commissioner, secretary human resource development department and even chief minister has failed to take steps in this regard.
We will continue to sit on the hunger strike till the government takes concrete steps in this regard,� said Umesh Kumar.
Citing the Jharkhand Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011 (Amendment 2012), one of the parents taking part in the agitation said, �Under clause 9 and sub-clause 22 of this rules those schools which have been established on leased or sub-leased land (as in the case in city where land has been sub-leased from Tata Steel) they should be treated as government aided ones but these schools frame their own fee structure in an arbitrary manner without taking permission from district administration,� said Suman Bagchi, a resident of Sonari whose girl studies in class II of Chinmaya Vidyalaya in Bistupur.
Rajeshwar Rao, an activist said, �We have no other choice but to protest and lodge complain to administration . Now it is their duty to intervene into the matter and ensure that the English medium schools follow the rules.�
He said that according to norms, schools can only increase fee from three to five per cent but the schools are flouting the norms and rules. But schools are planning 30 per cent hike.
The Abhibhavak Sangh president who had taken up the matter for finding a solution to the standoff between parents and the school management authorities said the JET should ensure transparency in the probe and look into the pros and cons of the fee hike issue so that justice may be delivered without fail.
He said the interests of parents and students should not be overlooked by the JET authorities while conducting the probe. �The welfare of students should be given top priority by the state education department and the JET authorities.
The allegations of parents should be verified and reasons should be asked for whimsical fee hike affected by the school authorities without consulting the parents or taking into consideration the financial condition of students,� said Kumar.
Kumar said the district administration had earlier fixed a date for a meeting with parents and the school authorities. But the meeting could not take place as the school management said the fee hike decision would not be revoked, he said.
The school authorities have been denying claims that the fee hike decision was whimsical. They said the fee hike was affected keeping into mind the overall development of the school, faculties and students. They said they were trying their best to provide quality education to the students.
