BENGALURU: It’s been just a week since the schools re-opened for the 2018-19 academic year and several parents who sending their kids to private schools in the city affiliated to different boards are facing gasp-worthy bills.
There are schools which are insisting that parents buy uniforms, text books and other necessities from the school or from a particular vendor, schools that are forcing parents to buy shoes of particular brands, schools that are charging huge processing fee if parents needs a transfer certificate of the kid, and schools that have increased their fee exorbitantly!
However, few parents raised their voice against such school managements, and some have even approached the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) seeking justice. Few parents even approached District Education Regulatory Authority (DERA) and filed complaints against the managements.
Unfortunately, many parents do not know what can be done when faced with such unfair practices. On the other hand, there are those who know what can be done but are afraid to act, worried that their children may be targeted if they protest.
“I am sending my daughters to one of the top schools in the city and they are in class 6 now. The problem is that the school insists that we change the brand of shoes they wear every year. The pairs that we bought last year are in good condition but they changed the brand specification again this year and we had to spend atleast Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000,” said a parent.
Extra classes are imposed on children and fees, on parents. “We have to pay for karate and swimming classes even if my son has no interest to them. If we resist, the management will ask us to take the child out,” a parent added.
Transportation has to be arranged with the school, even if you live a stone’s throw away from the building. “You won’t believe it, but my son’s school won’t allow parents to pick up their wards. Even if you are staying two or three roads away from it, you must pay thousands for school-managed transportation,” said a parent.
Besides the financial burden, children are put through constant change.“Teachers and counsellors are changed every year. It is difficult to approach a new teacher or counsellor, and kids take at least six months to adjust to their way of teaching,” said a parent.
‘Rules should be least restrictive’
Some private school managements object to a few elite schools insisting on brands and harassing parents. “Schools can form least-restrictive guideline, which align with government rules. We demand that government acts against schools who arbitrarily form rules and force parentsto follow them. Government action should not trouble schools that abide by the law,” said D Shashi Kumar.