AAP plans to move HC against private schools

LUCKNOW: Demanding a regulatory commission to check arbitrary fee hike by private educational institutions in Lucknow and other parts of the state, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said on Tuesday that they had decided to move high court if the Uttar Pradesh government failed to do anything in this regard.

AAP’s national spokesperson and Delhi state president Dileep Pandey, who was in Lucknow on Tuesday, claimed that the Delhi government had reined in private schools which were known for arbitrary fee hike. “If we (Delhi government) can do it, why can’t the UP government,” Pandey said to media persons.

Taking up the issue on behalf of parents, the AAP had recently staged demonstrations in the state capital demanding rollback of fee hike. “It seems that the private educational institutions in Lucknow are on a fee hike spree while no political party has taken up the issue till date. But the AAPwill not sit idle. In Delhi, the government has been able to check arbitrary fee hike by private schools in Delhi and we also want the same in Lucknow and other parts of the state,” said Pandey.

AAP’s UP spokesperson Vaibhav Maheshwari said, “All departments have regulatory bodies. Similarly, we need a regulatory commission in UP to check arbitrary fee hike by private schools.”

About the party’s plan to take the issue to another level, Maheshwari said: “We have decided to move the Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court. If the state government fails to take any effective measures in this regard, we will be left with this option.”

The AAP leaders also announced party’s plan to stage demonstrations across the state to press their demand. “Starting with Lucknow, AAP workers will stage demonstrations at all district headquarters,” said Maheshwari.

Both the leaders highlighted the steps taken by their government to streamline the education sector in New Delhi. Some of them included the increased budget for education, special budget for training of teachers and new classrooms in Delhi.