Braving sweltering heat, Ggn parents march against overcharging pvt schools

A blistering Sunday did not deter hundreds of parents who carried out a protest march against hefty fee hike by private schools in Gurugram.

The parents, many who have children enrolled in private schools, marched to the Mini Secretariat at Civil Lines area.

Protesting under the banner of All India Parents Forum for Education, the protestors also demanded the auditing of accounts of private schools.

"With no checks and balances, most private schools in the city are now looting us openly. Recently, DPSG School in Palam Vihar increased their fee by as much as 400 percent. Not only this, most of these private schools are also forcing us to buy stationery from them at a much higher cost," said Dev Kumar, one of the protesting.

"Imagine the plight of the middle-class parents who will have to pay more than a lakh as school fees for their children. The measures adopted by certain private schools are completely unjustified and the state government must take note of illegal actions adopted by them," added Kumar.

However, the parents were stopped mid-way by police and denied permission to enter the Mini Secretariat.

Even after being stopped by police, the angry parents refused to leave the area and dispersed only after submitting a memorandum against the private schools to the Gurugram divisional commissioner.

With protests against hefty school fees increasing in number in the city, a high level meeting by the district authorities is planned on April 5.