AAP protests alleged fee hike by school

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday staged a protest against an alleged fee hike by a private school in Saket, even as parents voiced concerns over delays in the issuance of roll numbers to students scheduled to appear for the upcoming CBSE board examinations.

The protest was led by AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, who alleged that private schools in Delhi increased fees by 50 to 80 per cent from April 1 last year and claimed that the BJP-led government had promised to bring a new law to ensure refunds of the increased fees, but no school had returned any amount so far. The BJP said the Rekha Gupta dispensation has resolved the matter regarding fee hikes in private schools through its intervention, and a law which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) failed to do in 2020, while it was in power.

Bharadwaj said councillors from all zones gathered as Class 10 board examinations are set to begin on Tuesday, while some students were made to wait outside their schools for hours to receive their roll numbers. He alleged that one of the affected students was a national-level sportsperson. He further claimed that schools were threatening parents that their children would not be allowed to appear for examinations if the increased fees were not paid.

Protesters carried placards with "stop blackmail" written on them and raised slogans "Band karo, Band karo- Shiksha se Khilwaad band karo". Ajeet Awasthi, a parent of a Class 10 student and among the protesters, said his child is scheduled to appear for the mathematics examination on Tuesday, but still has not received the admit card. "We are ready to pay the fee approved by the education department, but not the increased fee demanded by the school. We want our child to receive the admit card before the examination," he said.