Siliguri: Guardians of students studying in two government schools raised allegations against the school authorities that they have charged admission fees higher than those mentioned by the state government.
The protests broke out at Hakimpara Girls’ High School and Jabravita High School, where guardians accused the authorities of violating government guidelines on admission fees. According to the parents, the government has fixed the admission fee for government schools at Rs. 240. However, Hakimpara Girls’ High School allegedly charged Rs 500 per student, while Jabravita High School charged Rs 400.
Parents alleged that the schools failed to clearly explain why the fees were increased or under which heads the extra money was being collected.
At Jabravita High School, parents pointed out that although the admission slip mentioned Rs 240, an additional amount was collected by citing Saraswati Puja donations and ID card charges on the reverse side of the slip, bringing the total to Rs 400. In the case of Hakimpada Girls’ High School, parents alleged that Rs 500 was taken without any clear explanation regarding its purpose.
Following these allegations, aggrieved parents gathered and protested outside Hakimpara Girls’ High School. Upon receiving information, Police arrived at the spot, and after prolonged discussions, the situation was brought under control.
“On Friday, as soon as the admission process began, the fees were increased. We were not informed why extra money was being taken. Why should we pay more? Schools must follow government rules,” said Shyamali Sutradhar, a protesting parent.
Due to the unrest, the admission process was temporarily suspended. Sources said that the final admission fees would be decided only after discussions with the managing committee. However, no official statement was issued by the authorities of Hakimpara Girls’ High School.
Meanwhile, Jabravita High School authorities denied all allegations, stating that the mention of Saraswati Puja donations on the admission slips was due to the non-availability of separate donation coupons for the puja.