New Delhi, April 16 -- Several parents staged a protest outside the Delhi Directorate of Education on Wednesday, demanding a rollback of recent school fee hikes and government intervention. Protesters alleged that private unaided schools were imposing "irregular and exorbitant" fee increases without notice or official approval. They accused schools of commercialising education and using coercive tactics - such as withholding admit cards or threatening to remove students over non-payment. Parents carried placards reading "Loot machana bandh karo" and "Hamari fees kam karo," decrying the rising costs of education.
Ajit Singh, whose daughter studies in Class 9, said the school hiked fees without prior clearance and refused dialogue. "They told us - if you can't pay, take your child out," he claimed. Others raised concerns over psychological harassment, with children allegedly humiliated in assemblies for delayed payments. Some parents claimed fee hikes of up to 45 per cent over two years, with forced purchases of costly school materials.
The issue has drawn political attention, with LoP Atishi urging CM Rekha Gupta to halt arbitrary fee hikes.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.