PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE / Dehradun
The women wing of the Congress on Wednesday staged a protest in Dehradun against alleged school fee hikes and the rising cost of NCERT books. Those who led the agitation said that they articulated the concerns of the parents, smarting under growing financial burden for their children’s education.
Carrying placards and raising slogans, the protesters marched towards the residence of the Education minister, Dhan Singh Rawat. However, police had erected barricades to stop the agitators before they could reach Yamuna Colony. A protester, dressed as a “dummy minister”, accompanied the march, adding a satirical element to the demonstration.
During the protest, the “dummy minister” made a pointed remark questioning how school operators would contribute donations during elections if fees were not increased. The protestors said that this reflected the opposition’s criticism of alleged links between rising fees and political funding.
The State Mahila Congress president, Jyoti Rautela said that the continuous increase in school fees was pressuring parents. “Private schools are increasing fees every year and the cost of NCERT books is also becoming difficult for common families to afford,” she said.
She further alleged that education was increasingly being commercialised under the Bharatiya Janata Party government. “Institutions are being run like profit-making centres. Parents are being forced to deposit fees in advance and books worth Rs 2,000–Rs 3,000 are being sold for as high as Rs 8,000,” she claimed.
Continuing with her criticism of the State government, Rautela said that ambiguous government regulations and commission practices in the education sector were leading to harassment of students and parents and demanded stricter monitoring of private school fee structures.
