Kolkata protest against school fee hike

Kolkata, Apr 20 (ANI): Students of various private schools and their guardians protested against an unprecedented fee hike in Kolkata.

The protesters were out on the streets to block traffic in the city and demonstrate against the 50 to 80 per cent hike in tuition fee.Students of St. Anthony, St. Aloysious, St. Paul's, Don Bosco, St. Mary, and St. Loyola formed a human chain and blocked traffic for nearly an hour, demanding a roll back. They are unhappy because they were not informed in advance regarding the fee hike."In 1994, the fee was Rs.90, in 2008 it was Rs.650 and now it has increased Rs.1070 in 2009. The fee was increased without informing us in advance. We are protesting because of that. We spoke to the principal the bishop, but no one has solved our problem," said Dipankar Majumdar, a protestor. The hike followed the government decision to implement the fifth pay commission's recommendations to raise the salaries of its employees, including those in state-aided schools. The parents feel the schools are using the pay panel recommendations as an excuse to increase fees.The rules state that all private schools have to pay their employees at par with aided schools. (ANI)