Schools accused of shutting out parents who protested fee hike

COIMBATORE: K A Swaminathan was shocked when he came to know that his son who scored 91% in Class 10 was denied admission to Class 11 in the same school. A lot of children with fewer marks had already been enrolled to the same class. When he approached the school management, he was told his son was not welcome because he was one of the parents who had protested the school management's decision to raise fee beyond the limit set by a government committee.
Unfortunately, Swaminathan is not an exception. Many parents who refused to pay more than the fee decided by the Tamil Nadu School Fee Determination Committee (TNSCFDC) allege that they were being denied seats in the new academic year. They believe it is an attempt to filter the 'rebel' parents from the institutions to eliminate any consolidated move against the school management. At least in one school, parents have moved court seeking remedial action.
"My son appeared for Class 10 from Lisieux Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Sai Baba Colony. Even after scoring high marks and approaching the school the same day the results were announced, I had to leave dejected. The next day we returned to the school and I was told that the reason for not admitting my ward was because I was a member of the parents' association protesting the excess fee collection in the school," Swaminathan claimed. A school official who didn't want to be identified said the boy was denied admission for several reasons. Though he refused to list them, the official asked, "Why should the parent who is not willing to pay the fee want to admit his child in the very same school."
In another incident, two parents who have wards studying at Sri Gopal Naidu Children's School in Peelamedu approached the high court accusing the school of denying admissions to their younger children as they had earlier questioned the school's move to raise fee. "My elder daughter is studying at the school in the UKG section. I applied for my son as his sister is studying there and because the school is close to our home," said S Ramesh, one of the petitioners. The court has asked education officials to consider the petition. An official of the school who refused to be identified said they could not disclose the reason for refusing admission. "We turned around application from 50 to 100 parents. We have our own reasons for doing so," the official said.
Last year, the (TNSCFDC) had decided the fee for each school after verifying claims of facilities made by them. However, many parents complained that schools were charging more than what was prescribed. Some even organised parents associations in the schools and staged protests.
R Manimohan, chairman of the Students Welfare Association of Parents (SWAP), said there are several instances of victimisation towards parents who resist to pay excess fees demanded by school managements. "Many parents are forced to fall in line. Even students are being threatened to compel their parents," he claimed.