TNI Bureau: The teachers of all the DAV public schools in Odisha have decided to boycott the classes for an indefinite period from today demanding immediate arrest of the parents for misbehaving the Principal of DAV School in Cuttack on Tuesday.

Condemning the incident in which the DAV school principal at CDA Sector 6 in Cuttack was allegedly misbehaved and abused even locked inside the room, about 5000 teachers of all 42 DAV schools in the state demanded the police to provide them safety in schools.

The teachers alleged that the parents misbehaved with the lady principal. She was locked when she was alone in her room. “If parents won’t show respect to teachers what will their children learn from them,” said Bhagyabati Nayak, principal of DAV Public School, Unit-VIII, Bhubaneswar.

The teachers’ decision came after parents entered the DAV School in Cuttack protesting the fee hike decision. They allegedly mishandled and abused Principal Ipsita Das. Even she was forced to write to withdraw the fee hike decision taken by the management.

The teachers alleged that police did not come forward to help the Principal. Even police took no action despite a complaint lodged in Markat Nagar police station on Tuesday.

The tussle between parents and school authorities turned violent after the school management increased fees by almost three times. The parents have been opposing the fee hike decision in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack for last two months. The monthly fee was hiked on December 6 last year from Rs 550 to Rs 1,450 with effect from June.

After several protests by the parents, the school management decided not to implement the fee hike decision in Cuttack as the matter is in the Supreme Court. The hearing was slated for January 14, but deferred to February 11.

While the parents have been opposing the school fee hike, the school authorities justified the hike saying the decision was taken as per the apex court order. In fact, the top court in an interim order had allowed to raise school fee with due permission from the interim committee set up by the Orissa High Court. The School management said that most of the parents have paid the hiked fee, but few parents have been opposing the decision.