ITAHARI: Three educational institutions here in Dharan and Itahari bore the brunt of recent fee-hike decision of Tribhuvan University today.

A group of around 20 masked students belonging to All Nepal National Independent Students' Union -Revolutionary (ANNISU-R) vandalised five buses of the two schools and a college, protesting the fee-hike.

The Maoist students resorted to the “novel protest” since morning. They chanted slogans against “the business in the education sector”. Three buses of Koshi Saintjems College, a bus of BP Koirala Memorial School at Itahari and a bus belonging to Bishnu Memorial Higher Secondary at Bhanuchowk of Dharan were completely damaged in the incident.

The school students, who were nearby the vehicles, shouted out of fear as soon as the revolutionary students began their protest. Bystanders could do nothing except for witnessing the unruly activities until the protesters fled away the scene chanting slogans.

The fear-stricken students, following the incident, chose to go back to their homes while a state of terror gripped the educational institutions. The college and school administrations said they had not got any warning from the students and the incident took all of sudden. In the wake of the vandalism, a meeting of owners of private schools held in Itahari condemned the incident and decided to shut all the private educational institutions of Sunsari district today.

According to Tanka Khulal, founder of Koshi Saintjems College, teaching learning activities of 21 Plus Twos and 250 private schools was halted due to the closure.

The meeting also decided to file cases against the culprits to police. The participants of the meeting concluded that the ANNIFSU(R) had been trying to unleash terror in education sector in the name of protesting the privatisation in the education sector. Representatives of PABSON, N-PABSON, among others, were present at the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Maoist students took out separate rallies in Itahari, Dharan and Inaruawa protesting against “the educational mafias”. Students of government schools also seen in the rally. Madan Chudal, district chairman, ANNIFUS(R), admitted their involvement in the vandalism.

“This is our symbolic protest against the mafias dominant in the private education sectors. However, it is only the beginning; we will intensity our protest if the private educational institutions did not correct themselves and end business in the education sector.''