Parents plan protest march to Gandhinagar

AHMEDABAD: An association of parents has decided to continue its fight against the managements of

private schools

till the latter agree to collect fees no higher than the upper limit fixed by the state government.

The association — The Voice of Parents — has also decided that it would take out a march to Gandhinagar to press for their demand that schools collect fees no higher than the upper limit.

A meeting of the parents was organized in Navrangpura on Thursday evening. The parents, however, were confused as they had the impression that fees should be 15,00o for primary; 25,000 for secondary; and 27,000 for higher secondary.

Prakash Kapadia, an office-bearer of the association, said that they would gather parents in large number for the protest march to Gandhinagar. The parents also resolved that they would not pay more fees than the upper limit fixed by the government.

Naresh Shah, another office-bearer of the association, said that several private schools were collecting fees for two quarters and even charging a penalty of Rs 100 for late payment. “We are going to make a representation to the government against these managements,” Shah said.

The parents even demanded that the association should put pressure on the government to announce the formation of the committees and fix the fees as soon as possible.

Earlier in the day, a group of parents staged a dharna outside the

Nirman School

and demanded that the school accept the upper limit fixed for fees. The trustee of the school, Ashish Desai, said that the school has 2500 students, out of which 2300 have already paid their fees.

“Only a handful of parents are agitating. We are only charging Rs 28,000 for primary; Rs 30,000 for secondary; and Rs 36,000 for higher secondary. Those agitating have their own vested interests,” Desai said.