Oshiwara int'l school closure displaces nearly 600 students

MUMBAI: Nearly 600 students of City International School in Oshiwara are facing abrupt displacement after the management informed parents that the current academic year would be its last, triggering protests and a frantic search for admissions just weeks before the new term.Parents said a Feb11 email advising them to seek alternative schools and collect leaving certificates left families shaken. Many gathered outside the campus over the past few days, demanding clarity and time. The anxiety is most acute among those with children entering Std X under the ICSE board, where subject combinations vary across schools. Rizwana Sheikh, whose child is set to enter Std X, said, "Finding admissions at the last moment when the new academic year is about to begin is almost impossible. They could have informed us in December so we had time to plan. Now, the big ICSE schools we approached are asking nearly double the fees," she said. Echoing the concern, Madhura Phadke, Principal of AM Naik ICSE School in Powai, said Std X admissions pose structural challenges. "The main problem will be finding a school that offers the same Group III subjects, which include optional skill-based subjects such as home science, physical education, cookery, art and yoga. Additionally, many schools may simply not have vacancies, as almost nobody leaves right before Std X begins," she said.Responding to the concerns, administrator Gaurav Bhagwat said the school's decision was driven by financial and legal constraints. "This school has been here for almost 25 years. We can't find suitable premises in such a dense belt as Oshiwara, Goregaon and Andheri. We were already served an eviction notice," he said.The campus operates on leased land, and the landlord increased the annual rent from Rs 35.8 lakh to Rs 55 lakh under a price-escalation clause, despite an agreement valid till 2028. "We challenged the escalation in court between 2014 and 2018, lost, and paid Rs 3 crore in compensation," Bhagwat said. He said the school incurred a Rs 2-3 crore deficit last year. Bhagwat said the management is in talks with other ICSE schools to facilitate transfers.