Fee hike: Parents form human chain

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Panipat, April 10

Enraged over the hike in fees and annual funds by private schools, parents of students formed a human chain here today.

They gathered under the banner of the Panipat Parents Association at a local market to oppose the private schools’ move.

The parents protested against the fee hike, annual charges, development charges, smart classroom charges and other funds by private schools.

The protesting parents formed a human chain for more than an hour. The parents demanded that the ‘loot’ by private schools be brought under control.

Subhash Saini, spokesperson of the PPA, said the parents had agreed to submit the school fees which were decided by the Education Department.

The parents could not be pressurised for annual charges, development charges, smart classes charges and increased school fees by private schools, he added.

He warned that if government did not initiate any action against private schools, parents would form human chains in Delhi and Chandigarh to express their anger.

Krishan Lal Chugh, president of the PPA, said they had started with 11 members, but more than 5,000 parents had gathered on one platform now.

Rakesh Chugh, vice-president of the PPA, said all schools were under the state education policy and norms and they were bound to obey norms of the Education Department.

Rohan Goyal, secretary of the PPA, urged parents not to hand over vehicles to teenagers because it was dangerous for children as well as other commuters.

Private schools oppose order to install sewage treatment plants

Faridabad: The state Pollution Control Board has directed private schools to install sewage treatment plants (STP) on their premises to prevent water wastage. School managements have opposed the order calling it unnecessary. No school in the district has such a facility at present, it is revealed. “The department has issued letters to some schools to install sewage treatment plants in a stipulated time if their daily  waste water discharge is 10,000 kilo litre or more,” said sources in the Pollution Control Board here. While the demand of STP in educational institutions was not a new norm under the  Pollution Control Act, no school in the city had established one, they claimed. JB Sharma, Regional Officer, Pollution Control Board, said notices had been issued to schools in compliance with the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which focuses on saving water and controlling water pollution. TNS