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PMK protest against capitation fee The Hindu Jun 25, 2008 —

FOR A CAUSE: Members of PMK students’ wing protesting against capitation fee and donations in educational institutions in Chennai on Tuesday.

CHENNAI: Members of Tamizhaga Manavar Sangam, the students’ wing of Pattali Makkal Katchi, staged a demonstration near Collector’s office on Rajaji Salai and in Tambaram on Tuesday protesting the collection of huge sums as capitation fee and donation in schools and colleges.

Carrying placards and banners, the activists at the protest on Rajaji Salai, led by State Secretary of the Sangam K.Saravanan, raised slogans against hike in the fees in educational institutions and their collecting donation.

Thought the government was aware of such violations, so far no action had been taken, Mr Saravanan complained.

At Tambaram, Kancheepuram district secretary of PMK Mohana Sundaram said apart from lowering fee, the private institutions should come forward in putting an end to collection of donation. And if they failed, Central and State government bodies should step in, pull up the violating colleges and put in place a mechanism that would ensure elimination of donation.

Mr. Sundaram said the government should take a thorough look into the facilities available to students and staff of self-financing colleges. Many colleges, especially technical institutions, collected huge sums from students, but facilities in laboratories and libraries were poor, he added.

The protestors said commercialisation of education had become rife more than even before, adding that even for admitting children in primary classes, parents were forced to shell out huge sums.