Parents raise war cry against fee hike

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Schools Parents Association (HSPA) demanded that the State government immediately issue an ordinance to set up a fee regulatory committee and stop schools from hiking fees until such time.

The demand was made while observing Parent's Solidarity Day here on Saturday, as part of the nationwide protest of parents across 20 cities in the country under the banner of Mission Education Federation to mount pressure on the Centre to bring a Fee Regulation Act, if the States failed to do so.

As part of the protest, parents from across the twin cities gathered in large number at the People's Plaza, Necklace Road, and several NGOs and people’s organisations also came out to extend their strong support to the cause. According to the HSPA representatives, parents across India joined hands to hold a simultaneous protest across 20 cities of India on Saturday, at 11 am, demanding immediate enactment of a new law for School Fee Regulation.

This programme of simultaneous nationwide protests is an effort to wake up the respective State governments from their slumber and also demand the government of India to enact a Central fee regulation Act, if the States fail to do so, according to the parents.

Parents associations from across India, from Kerala to Kashmir and from Gujarat to Tripura, joined hands to form a Mission Education Federation to organise and observe February 3 as Parents’ Solidarity Day, they said.

The HSPA which has been fighting for the cause since 2008, besides the fee regulation, also demanded that the government authorities immediately take steps for the safety and security audit of all schools to make schools safe for children.

They also urged to immediately constitute democratic parent teachers’ associations in all schools while giving them a significant say in major affairs of the school like school fees, security etc., strict implementation of all existing legislations like Juvenile Justice Act, POSCO etc.

Later, a two-minute silence was observed in memory of the student Sai Deepthi of Hyderabad who had committed suicide after being singled out and harassed by the school for non-payment of fees.

The protesters said that Sai Deepti was not the first student to commit suicide due to school fee issue in Hyderabad and Telangana. The government, however, seemed totally unmoved by the suicides. “Let Bangaru Telangana not be changed to ‘Suicide Telangana’,” the parents said.

Expressing their resentment over the government's inaction over such incidents, they asked when the Delhi, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu governments could enact suitable laws, why the Telangana government could not do it.