Dang, May 7:

The Private Schools’ Guardians’ Association (PSGA) and district-based student unions have closed private schools here for an indefinite period, starting today and putting at risk the future of over 25,000 students all over the district.

The PSGA and the student unions have launched an agitation in the district, putting forth an 11-point demand list, including reduction in tuition fees, uniformity in textbooks, provision of scholarships to Dalits, disabled and conflict victims and nationalisation of private schools.

Yesterday, the representatives of the student unions, PSGA and Private and Boarding Schools Organisation (PABSON) had held a meeting, which ended inconclusively, Dang district secretary of PABSON Jeewan Kumar Acharya said.

Dang chairman of PSGA Moti Lal Neupane said the private schools were closed for an indefinite period after the participants of the meeting could not reach an agreement on the issue of tuition fees.

Over 25,000 students study in 84 private schools in Dang while there are 1,500 teachers, Dang chairman of PABSON Sharad Kumar Sharma said. The tuition fee for Class X in the private schools here is Rs 800 while PSGA and the student unions are demanding to reduce it to Rs 320.