HYDERABAD: Unable to show up for a workshop at your child’s school? If so, not informing the school management can land you in trouble! A group of 15 parents had a first-hand experience on Monday morning when the Rainbow International Montessori School at Red Hills sent them a notice demanding a fine of Rs 500 from each and threatening to take their kids off the rolls.
All for what? Not attending a three-phased meeting organized by the school between January 4 and January 8. It was spread over five hours and split into two separate sessions. On receiving the notice, some of the parents staged a protest at the school.
“The parents were informed well in advance and we had mentioned that the students whose parents fail to attend the workshop will be taken off the rolls from January 16. Despite the flexibility to choose a time slot on any of the three days, the parents of a few students did not attend and failed to inform us that they will be unable to make it,” said Danish Ahmad, a member of the board of directors of the school.
According to the management, the workshop was aimed at educating parents on how to engage their children at home after school-hours so that they could spend quality time during the formative years of education. However, the fine of Rs 500 imposed by the principal on those who failed to attend the workshop led to a tussle and another meeting.
“Of the 15 students whose parents missed the workshop, close to 10 submitted a letter explaining their absence and have agreed to pay the fine as well. The rest do not think that the fine was warranted and hence a meeting of the parents and teachers is being conducted to sort out the issue,” said Rohit Sharma, one of the parents present for the meeting in the afternoon.
At the meeting, some of the parents and the principal of the school were seen arguing.
“As we follow the Montessori system of education, we require greater cooperation form parents,” said Vinay, another member of the board of directors. At the end of the meeting, the protesting parents gave in and agreed to attend the workshop on Tuesday.