END CORRUPTION IN EDUCATION - AIPA PRESIDENT WRITES TO PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA

ALL INDIA PARENTS ASSOCIATION (AIPA)

AGARWAL BHAWAN, G.T. ROAD,

TIS HAZARI, DELHI-110054

30.04.2011

To,

Hon’ble Dr. Manmohan Singh,

Prime Minister of India,

New Delhi.

Sub: Enact Central Law to Regulate Fees in Unaided Private Schools and Upgrade all Government Schools all over the country to the level of Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central Schools)

Respected Sir,

The parents all over the country have been raising their voices for the past 15 years against inaction on the part of the Central and State Governments to check the menace of commercialization of education in unaided private schools. It is unfortunate that the governments have utterly failed to check arbitrary fee hike by the private schools despite directives by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Modern School case. Though the parents are now better aware of their rights qua unaided private schools but the schools are adamant to continue to exploit the hapless parents and students by subjecting them to pay unjustified, exorbitant and arbitrary fee and other charges. The State of Tamil Nadu has enacted Tamil Nadu Schools (Regulation of Collection of Fee) Act, 2009. It appears that the Tamil Nadu Act is addressing the parents’ concerns to a large extent. However, the application of the said Act is limited to the State of Tamil Nadu. In other States, there are practically no laws to deal with the school fee hike problems. AIPA demands a comprehensive Central Law Regulating Fees in Unaided Private Schools which should include a provision of minimum 50% representation of parents on the School Management Committee. Needless to say that Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 provides 75% representation of parents in the School Management Committee in the Government and Government Aided Schools.

Another aspect of the matter is that all children including the children with disabilities have a basic human and fundamental right to receive good quality education in the mainstream schools as guaranteed to them under Article 14 (right to equality), Article 21 (right to life with dignity), Article 21-A (right to education) and Article 38 (right to social justice) of the Constitution of India read with the provisions of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 and UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2008). It is estimated that about 10 crores children are still out of school and are engaged in one or the other form of labour though their rightful place is in school. Those children who are in the government school system are receiving very poor quality of education. Fee-charging private schools are flourishing at the cost of government schools. It is all happening due to the apathy of the governments towards the educational needs of the children of the masses of this country. It is unfortunate as well as unconstitutional that discriminatory system of schooling exists within the Pubic School Education System. How long the rulers of this country would continue to deny the basic right to education to our children? AIPA demands that all government schools all over the country must be upgraded to the level of Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central Schools).

In the aforesaid backdrop, the All India Parents Association (AIPA) is staging today a peaceful protest against arbitrary fee hike in private schools and apathy of governments towards state run schools at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi to draw your kind attention to the plight of the hapless parents and the students. Similar coordinated protests by the parents are also taking place today in many States & Districts all over India demanding (i) Enactment of a Central Law to Regulate Fees in Unaided Private Schools and (ii) Upgrade all Government Schools all over the country to the level of Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central Schools).

Sir, we have great hopes in you. We, therefore, request you to kindly intervene in the matter for the realization of the above demands.

On behalf of AIPA & all other participating organizations and individuals:

Ashok Agarwal, Advocate

National President, AIPA

M-09811101923

E-mail: juristashok@gmail.com