The meeting was held as per the directions of PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh, who wanted parents to express their grievances to SDM Bharat Bhushan​ Gogia.
Parents of wards studying in Delhi Public School Ghaziabad (DPSG) and representatives from the school on May 1 held a meeting with Bharat Bhushan Gogia, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) North, after PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh's directions to hear the grievances of parents opposing the hike in school fee.
After hearing out both the parties, SDM Gogia directed the school authorities not to take action against students who had not deposited the fees. He also instructed the school to not charge any late fee until the matter was resolved. Both sides presented their views on the matter and suggested how the problem could be solved.
Parents told the government official that they had admitted their wards to Chiranjeev Bharti School in Palam Vihar, as the school had fees they could afford. However, the school was soon taken over by DPSG, an entirely different organisation, which started increasing the fees. Parents said this year, the school management had hiked the fees by almost 60 per cent to 70 per cent, which forced the parents to launch an agitation, demanding a rollback.
They also said that taking their wards out of the school and getting admission elsewhere was also beyond their financial capability and requested the government to intervene in the issue and prevent the massive fee hike. Some parents also said two to three of their kids were in the school and it would be impossible for them to bear the cost after the hike in fees.
After hearing out the parents, SDM Gogia asked the school management to empathise with the problems being faced by the parents and their wards, and asked them to provide services such as mid-day meals and free transportation.
The SDM also suggested to the school authorities that a parent-teacher association should be formed after conducting elections to help resolve these issues. He also directed the formation of a committee that would conduct an inspection of the school in the first week of July.
A similar follow-up meeting has been called on Wednesday, May 3, to resolve the matter.
