WATCH: 'School Mafia Murdabad...' Thousands Of Parents Protest Against Arbitrary Fee Hikes By Private Schools In Jabalpur, Demand Refund (WATCH)

Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): Amidst rising concerns over exorbitant fee hikes by private schools, parents took to the streets of Jabalpur on Monday, to protest the alleged malpractices by the schools. Thousands of parents gathered in Jabalpur, demanding a refund. The entire protest was recorded in a video which is circulating widely on social media.

During the protest, parents shouted "School Mafia murdabad," accusing private schools of raising fees beyond the limit.

This action comes in the wake of revelations by the district administration that 11 schools had illegally collected ₹81.30 crore from 21,000 students and collaborated with book vendors and publishers without proper authorization.

Thousands of parents gathered at Malviya Chowk, and marched to the Collectorate. Their rally was halted by police at Ghantaghar, where a memorandum was submitted.

The parents put forth several demands:

The dismissal of the district education officer.

Refund of the illegally collected fees from the past four years.

Regulation of the weight and price of books and notebooks issued by private schools.

Fee concessions for children from the same family.

Scholarships for SC, ST, and OBC students as per government guidelines.

The association gave the authorities 24 hours to meet their demands, warning that they would start city-wide protests if nothing is done.