Woman tries to break through President's convoy with charter of demands 2 days before parents' hunger strike
Woman tries to break through President's convoy with charter of demands 2 days before parents' hunger strikeDesperate times call for desperate measures. On Monday, as President Pratibha Patil's Z-security convoy that was heading towards Raj Bhavan was passing through Range Hills, a woman living in the area tried to break through the security ring to present a memorandum to Patil regarding fee regulation in unaided schools.
No stopping them: Students' parents at a recent protest. File picIdentified as Anjali Sandeep Patil, the woman is a non-practising ayurvedic doctor. She was arrested and later released on bail by the Chatuhshrungi police station.
According to officials at the police station, the incident took place around 3.30 pm when Patil insisted on giving the memorandum about the school fee hike to the President despite being told it was not possible. "She tried to stop the vehicle but was stopped before she could reach the convoy," said an official.
PSI S B Ghorpade, who is investigating the case, was unavailable for comment. While one parent's attempt to effect change failed, it will be noteworthy to see what drama unfolds from today as parent groups across the country go on a fast-unto-death in Mumbai to protest against the government's lack of commitment to come up with a law to regulate fees in private unaided schools.
"What that woman did was a desperate act of a parent left with no resort. And I'm sure if things continue like this there will be many more such cases. From tomorrow we are going to Mumbai and will not return until the government concedes our demands to regularise fees and pay revised salaries to teachers in private schools," said Sandip Chavan, city representative of Forum for Fairness in Education.
International school moves SCinstitution says rte not applicable to it AS parent groups embark on a fast-unto-death test from today to press for fee regulation, an international school from the city, namely the Mercedes Benz International School, has moved the Supreme Court challenging the applicability of the Right to Education Act on international schools.
According to the RTE Act, these schools are required to reserve 25 per cent seats for students from poor sections of society and a fixed amount of Rs 4,481 will be paid to schools by the government as reimbursement of fees at the elementary level. However the fees charged by IB schools are huge and in the range of a few lakhs a year and the schools feel that the provisions are unfair to international schools.
