Bhubaneswar, Sept. 16: Members of various parents' associations in the city met senior officials of the school and mass education department today and pressed for a regulatory body to monitor and regulate the private schools operating in the state.

They also requested for proper implementation of the Right to Education Act in various schools. The Act says that the government should monitor whether a private school has earmarked 25 per cent of its seats for students from economically-weaker sections of the society.

However, in the absence of any monitoring mechanism of the government, private schools have allegedly been trying to avoid admissions under this category.

The parents alleged the government had no information about the private schools, which have been consistently refusing to address various grievances of the parents. Alleging harassment and exploitation by school authorities for various reasons, the parents said that there should be proper monitoring the cases related to child rights violation under RTE especially in private schools.

"The increasing dependency of the parents on private schools for the education of their children has given the school authorities the scope to exercise their monopoly and exploit parents by demanding exorbitant price. Many parents are forced to agree to their illegal and illegitimate demands as the schools start mentally harassing their children," rued Sanjukta Panigrahi, a parent.

The parents objected to the arbitrary fee hike in schools putting huge financial pressure on the parents. Even budget schools are demanding Rs 3,000 per month for a kindergarten student which is too much for a family with one earning member, they alleged.

"While charging high fees has become a much common practice in almost all high-profile English-medium schools, the parents often prefer to remain silent and not lodge any complaints apprehending that the authorities would torture their children. But a regulatory body to monitor and regulate these schools is the need of the hour," said Basudev Bhatt, the joint convener of Odisha Abhibabak Mahasangha.

"The government, the parents and the school authorities must come together and make efforts for the betterment of the state's education system," Bhatt said.

There were also discussions on the need for schools to come under the purview of Right to Information Act and supply the required information to the public whenever sought. Important issues, such as rationalisation of fees in all private schools and use of NCERT books in all classes, were also discussed. The parents also pressed for minimising books to lessen the weight of schoolbags.

Director of Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority Mahendra Mallick who was present in the meeting said that it was a meaningful discussion and the government would make efforts to address the problems.