Several private unaided schools in Bangalore has blocked access to online classes to students who have not be able to pay fees. Parents have flooded Child Line, RTE Task Force and the Department of Public Instruction helpline with complaints against the schools. The RTE Task Force alone received 50 complaints, while the DPI helpline collected over 100.
In some cases, schools even disallowed students’ participation despite parents paying the fees in installments. Parents said they received no prior intimation over blocking online classes. A parent sending his son to a school in Whitefield said, “Access to online classes was removed for my son without prior intimation.” adding that when he checked with the other parents, they said the online link was working fine for them.
Many others parents who had their access blocked checked with the school management and realised later that it was done to demand a one-time payment of the fees. Parents who asked for a transfer certificate received it from the school over email.
A parent who faced the issue with a school in Indiranagar said, “We told the school that we would pay the fees in installments. Despite this, they blocked access to online classes, which is affecting the children’s mental and emotional health.”
Nagasimha G Rao, state convener of RTE Task Force, said the over 50 complaints they received are against private school managements. He said, “Parents raised complaints about blocking of online classes,’ he said. The RTE Task Force has forwarded the complaints to the concerned Block Education Officer (BEO). ‘We have to forward the complaints by email, which several BEOs haven’t even opened. This has also been sent to the notice of the primary education minister with a request that he should instruct all department officials to open their mails daily.”
DPI officials said they must follow the procedure. A senior department official said, “We must first issue a notice to the schools. We have done this for a majority of schools about which we have received complaints.”
Source: Deccan Herald
Read: School fees & online classes confusion: National round-up
Also read: Mumbai: Parents urge high court to bar schools from hiking fees
Also read: Unable to pay fees, parents consider moving kids out of private schools
Posted in News, States
