Parents up against private schools’ arbitrary fee hike
Private schools continue to fleece parents with fee hikes while no adequate facilities are being provided to students.
Parents Sunday accused private schools of misleading them by charging double fee for ‘unsatisfactory’ education system and inadequate facilities. “Every decision schools take is one-sided without consulting parents. They have kept no room for parents to express their views against the fee hike and other issues,” said Mohsin Goni, a parent.
He said many private schools in Kashmir have hiked fee by 40 percent in violation of court order as they haven’t consulted parents.
Goni was talking at a meeting attended by large number of parents to discuss problems faced by their children in various private schools.
Some of the common problems highlighted by the parents include unsolicited fee hike, poor infrastructure, low educational standards, lack of practical education, obsolete examination system not in accordance with national and international standards, lack of accountability, capitation fee and miscellaneous charges.
Some of the major demands made by the group were that fee should not be increased without proper consultation.
“Donations and capitation fee should be declared a cognizable offence and there should be no payment to schools in the name of varied funds and excursion fee and uniform charges,” said Shakeel Ahmad.
He termed the exercise by Education Minister and Directorate of School Education after the government formation to be a mere tokenism as parents continue to cough up huge amounts.
After becoming Education Minister Naeem Akhtar threatened schools collecting exorbitant fee with serious consequences.
With a rising number of people voicing resent against private schools, many parents urged them to form a pressure group of parents under the amalgam of ‘Parents Association of Privately Administered Schools (PAPAS)’.
Organizer of the meet Asma Goni said, “Every parent should come at the forefront of the issues concerning the private school children. We shouldn’t stay quiet and should fight for the sake of our children.”
