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All shut on pvt schools front
KATHMANDU, APR 25 -
All private schools across the country stayed shut on Sunday due to the indefinite nationwide closure called by All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union- Revolutionary (ANNISU-R), the student wing of the UCPN (Maoist).
Thousands of students were affected by the closure. Our correspondents report that activists of ANNISU-R resorted to vandalism and used force to shut down some private schools in various parts of the country.
ANNISU-R activists barged into the Dhangadhi-based Aishwarya Biddhya Niketan School and attacked its principal Dharma Dev Bhatta in his chamber on the charge of defying their strike. Bhatta has sustained injuries.
ANNISU-R activists also vandalised a school bus belonging to Bhanu Memorial School in Biratnagar. School administrators claimed that the activists resorted to vandalism after the school refused to pay hefty donation to the ANNISU-R leaders.
In the Capital, ANNISU-R activists reportedly barged into the Kapan-based Binayak and Jugal schools and manhandled school administrators for defying their closure. The activists also torched over six school buses. ANNISU-R has called the nationwide closure of private schools to put pressure on these schools to revoke their decision to hike fees.
However, neither the private schools nor the protesters have shown any sign of coming to an agreement.
Private and Boarding Schools’ Organisation Nepal (PABSON) and Nepal Private and Boarding Schools’ Organisation, Nepal (NPABSON) have said they would not bow down to pressure.
PABSON has claimed that it increased fees by 15 to 35 percent while N-PABSON said it was ready to review the current fees under a scientific study plan. Gita Rana of N-PABSON said talks with member schools were underway. “We have no problem reviewing the fees,” she said.
ANNISU-R General Secretary Himal Sharma said the “closure of schools would continue if the schools did not roll back the fee hike.”
President of Guardians’ Association Suprabhat Bhandari said the government should intervene as the fee hike was against illegal.
Meanwhile, the government has called on the authorities concerned to resolve the problem through dialogue. “The government is ready to facilitate to resolve the matter,” said Janardan Nepal, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Education. He also promised to take action against schools who hiked fees without following required procedures.
Posted on: 2010-04-26 07:28
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