Man says Coimbatore school has asked him to collect his children’s TC over fee penalty dispute

COIMBATORE: A man has filed a complaint with the district chief educational officer (CEO) after a private International Baccalaureate (IB) school allegedly asked him to collect transfer certificates (TCs) of his two children after he questioned a penalty charged on him despite paying the term fee before the school reopened.

Senthilraja CG,44, a resident near SITRA on Avinashi Road, said his 14-year-old son is in Class X and his 9-year-old daughter is in Class IV in school. He said the family paid around Rs 4 lakh per child annually.

In his complaint, Senthilraja said he paid Rs 1,58,500 on May 19 towards the first-term fee for both children for the 2026 academic year. He alleged that the school collected a penalty of Rs 9,500 per child. Since the payment was made before the academic year began, he emailed the management on May 23 seeking a refund.

Senthilraja said he was called to the school on May 27 to discuss the issue but was denied entry, spoken to in a derogatory manner and asked to leave. On May 28, he received an email asking him to collect the children’s TCs, he alleged.

Senthilraja claimed that the move was retaliatory, especially as his son was due to take board examinations in about three months and shifting to another IB school would be difficult. He said the action of the school affected the children’s right to education and mental wellbeing.

He added that the school had asked parents through an email to pay the first-term fee one month in advance, which he said he missed as he was on vacation. He questioned why the school insisted on collecting fees two to three months early.

Senthilraja said he had sent petitions to the CEO by email and post and complained to the district collectorate. He said he would submit a direct representation to the CEO on Monday seeking immediate intervention and action against the school.