PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The leader of opposition (LoP) in Vidhan Sabha Yashpal Arya has said that the education mafia is engaging in the open loot of public money while the State government is maintaining a stoic silence on the issue. In a statement on Saturday, Arya said that the school fees have increased and the prices of school uniforms and books and stationery have witnessed a big jump at the start of the new academic session. He said that the parents are under immense burden to meet the increased expenditure in the education of their wards.
Arya said that apart from increasing fees the schools put pressure on the parents to purchase textbooks and stationery from some of the selected book shops which proves that the system of commission is rampant. The schools change the books and publishers every two to three years.
Questioning the silence of the State government on the issue, the LoP demanded that the government should order an in-depth inquiry. He said that in absence of teachers in government schools the parents are forced to send their wards to the private schools. These schools extract money in the name of development and activity fees from the parents every year.
“ The government should ensure that affordable, accessible and quality education is available in the State and the parents are relieved from the burden of ever increasing school fees and prices of books, stationery and uniform,’’ he said.
