A group of student unions affiliated with various political parties has padlocked 45 private schools in Kathmandu valley protesting their exorbitant fees.
Members of Nepal Students Union, ANNFSU, ANNFSU-Revolutionary among other student unions reached notable schools like Rato Bangla, Gems School, Ullens School, Nightingale School in Lalitpur and Takshashila School, Daffodil School in Kathmandu and locked the accounts and administration of those schools, according to ANNFSU Secretary General Ain Mahar.
According to Mahar, Radiant, Whitefield, Swornim, Mount Glory, VS Niketan, Geetanjali, Rehdon, Fluorescent, Api, Gyan Niketan, Kathmandu Vidhya Kunja, Pushpa Sadan, Bibhuti, Kanchanjunga, Paragon and Sanskriti school were among the padlocked schools.
Similarly, Excelsior, Dibya Gyan, Dallu Awasiya School, Kathmandu Valley School, Trinity, Rose bud, Olympia, Nobel, Pathshala, Chelsea, Occidental, Ideal, Premier, United, Texas, Triyog, Euro kids, Marbles, Baba, Reliance, Little Angels and Bagmati also got their accounts and administration sections locked.
Despite the lockdown, the classes will run as normal, said Mahar. He explained that after these schools neglected the countless requests from the government to control their unreasonably high fee hike against set rules and failed to return the excess amounts to guardians, the unions were forced to resort to this move.
PABSON Secretary General Rajendra Baniya confirmed that the student unions had padlocked the schools.
He said they had been holding talks to find a solution but the cadres of the student unions barged into the schools and padlocked them abruptly.
The student unions have been protesting against the fee hike of schools in Kathmandu valley since last Tuesday.