Protest against fee hike by private schools in Jamshedpur

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur: Alleging illegal fee collection and authoritarian practices by private schools in the city, the Jharkhand Shiksha Utthan Samiti on Thursday launched a major agitation against what it termed as the “economic exploitation” of parents. The campaign began with a postcard signature drive and a symbolic “begging” protest programme aimed at drawing the government’s attention to the issue.
The movement was formally inaugurated by AJSU central general secretary Chandragupt Singh, who urged Chief Minister Hemant Soren to immediately intervene and regulate private school fee structures across the state.
Addressing the gathering, Chandragupt Singh alleged that private schools were financially burdening parents in the name of education. He said the state government must act without delay to curb the “arbitrary functioning” of private institutions and introduce strict rules to control school fees in the interest of students and their future.
Committee member Kranti Singh said the organisation plans to collect signatures from parents on two lakh postcards as part of the campaign. Once the drive is completed, members of the committee will undertake a padayatra from Jamshedpur to Ranchi carrying the signed postcards.
On reaching Ranchi, the delegation will submit the postcards directly to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, demanding immediate government intervention against the alleged irregularities in private schools. The committee also announced that the awareness campaign would not remain limited to Jamshedpur, but would soon be expanded across Jharkhand on a larger scale.