Over 2,000 from Mysuru join massive protest rally in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Strongly opposing the Government order asking private schools to charge only 70 percent of the tuition fee this academic year, the teaching and non-teaching staff of all schools, including those affiliated to the State Board, Central Boards and International Schools, took out a massive rally at Bengaluru today.

The rally was taken out from Bengaluru City Railway Station (KSR Bengaluru) to Freedom Park, where a demonstration was staged, urging the Government to withdraw the order on 30 percent fee cut. 

The protesters also sought fulfilment of their various other demands, which chiefly included a financial package for schools to make up for the huge losses incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Sudhakar S. Shetty, Founder-President of CISPMAM (CBSE, ICSE and State Board Private School Managements Association), covering the districts of Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Chamarajanagar and Kodagu, said that over 2,000 teachers and other non-teaching staff of schools from Mysuru city and district left for Bengaluru early this morning in about 50 buses and other vehicles to take part in the rally.

Maintaining that over 20,000 school teachers and other staff from across the State are taking part in the Bengaluru rally, Shetty said that the Government did not provide any financial assistance or compensation for teaching and non-teaching staff of private schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though all School Associations had put forth repeated requests for the same.

Contending that the Department of Primary and Secondary Education was making it difficult for existing old private schools as it was demanding that they fulfil the norms required for new schools, such as installation of a Fire Extinguishing System and getting No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Public Works Department (PWD), Shetty wanted the Government to allow schools to collect full tuition fee, introduce auto recognition for schools in respect of Right To Education (RTE) seats, priority for teachers and other school staff in the ongoing  COVID-19 vaccination drive and facilities for all school staff just like being given to the frontline Corona Warriors.

Shetty further said that almost all private schools in the State have declared a holiday for students today and the holiday applied to both online and offline classes.