School discriminates over fee hike: Parents

THEY ALLEGED THE SCHOOL WAS MAKING THEIR CHILDREN SIT ON BACK BENCHES, TAUNTING THEM, NOT UPDATING REPORT CARDS

MUMBAI: Caught in the middle of a dispute over the quantum of school fees, parents of students with Ryan International School, Chembur, have approached the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) alleging that the school authorities are discriminating against students whose parents are opposing the fee hike.

They alleged that the school was mentally harassing their children by making them sit on the back benches, taunting them, leaving them out of the class field trip, not updating their report cards, or not even holding an open house for parents to see the children’s performance in exams.

The school had hiked its fees, including transport fees, for the academic year 2015-16 before the school opened in April. Many parents had opposed the fee-hike as they felt it was unjustified. Later, a group of parents also filed a writ petition in the Bombay high court against the hike; the matter is ongoing.

Last month, the parents approached the MSCPCR through Childline, a 24-hour contact service for children to report abuse, and said that that the school authorities were victimising their children because of non-payment of the disputed fees.

In the complaint filed on December 5, parents complained of various kinds of discrimina tory behaviour by the school.

“It has been observed that most of the children whose par ents are protesting against the fee hike were taken to a different class, while the teacher updated the rest of the class about a field trip,” reads the parents’ com plaint. “When parents called up to check with the school, they were informed that there was not enough room in the bus, and these children would be accom modated in the next field trip.”

The parents alleged that this kind of behaviour amounted to mental harassment to the children. “Such acts alter the self-perception of the child and makes them feel insecure,” stated the complaint.

The chief operating offic er (COO) of the group, Net Srinivasan, denied the allega tions. “These allegations are absolutely unfounded and untrue,” said Srinivasan. “We had called everyone for the open house, including the parents of those who have not paid fees, but they did not turn up.”