HYDERABAD: It was a traumatising experience for 11-year-old Anusha and her brother 9-year-old Mallesh. They were allegedly asked to leave from their class and sit in the library by their teacher over non-payment of tuition fee. Not just them, as many as 20 children were allegedly ‘punished’ in similar ways on Monday by the authorities of Global Indian International School in Peerzadiguda. They were not allowed to attend classes and made to sit separately in a room for four hours straight. Their crime— their parents had not paid the school fees on time.
“Punishing children for delay in payment of fees is a clear violation of Right to Education Act,” says president of Balala Hakkula Sangham (BHS) Achyuta Rao. BHS, a city-based child rights body, claims this is not a stray case. In 2017 alone, as many as 53 such cases have been reported from across Hyderabad. Even recently, reports emerged of a Class IV student being made to stand outside the classroom for over two months over fee dues. His parents were not even aware that their child was being punished.
Apart from being discriminatory in nature, experts say that punishing children over issues like non-payment of fees can have a negative psychological impact on them. “When children are embarrassed in front of their peers over issues like money and fees, they tend develop issues like inferiority complex and poor self image that affects their self confidence and even academic performance,” says child counsellor Radhika Acharya.
“Payment of fees is a matter between school authorities and parents. No school has the right to deny education to children over fees. The government needs to book those violating these basic norms,” says Achyuta Rao. The Tirupathi Rao Committee, formed by the government to look into the school fee issue, has not bothered to address this issue, claims the Hyderabad School Parents’ Association (HSPA).
“The only thing the committee report says with regard to this issue is that schools have the right to issue Transfer Certificate to students whose fees have not been paid for more than 45 days,” HSPA member Aravinda Jata points out. “This has been opposed by the association and discussions are underway. There is no mechanism in the report to stop schools from penalising students over fees.”
“My children feel humiliated and are now reluctant to go to school,” says Anusha’s father J Ramesh Yadav.
“The school management insisted that such practices would continue till dues are fully cleared.” Experiences encountered in early childhood, counsellor Radhika Acharya says, sow the seeds for personality development in adulthood. “A child punished in such manner is likely to develop depression, social phobia and anxiety related issues which may carry forward into the future.”
According to Ramesh, the issue cropped up moths back when he refused to pay a whopping `30,000 the school demanded in the name of ‘Annual Day Celebrations.’ Activists’ demand to the education department to initiate action against such erring schools has fallen on deaf ears. Meanwhile, education department officials did not respond to repeated requests for comments by Express.
HC stays govt memo on school fees
Hyderabad:The High Court has stayed the government’s memo, asking private, unaided educational institutions not to hike fees but made it clear that they should deposit any amount, collected in excess of what was stipulated in the memo dated January 4, in separate bank accounts and that money should not be withdrawn until further orders. Justice A V Sesha Sai passed this interim order on a petition which sought quashing of the memo. In December last the Tirupati Rao committee recommended a 10 pc fee hike but the government issued the memo asking schools not to hike fees. Aggrieved, the Independent Schools Management Association went to court.