St Joseph's School in Byculla has been served a notice by the BMC, warning the management of strict action if it harasses parents by asking them to cough up money over and above the school fee
St Joseph’s School in Byculla is mired in a controversy, with parents of its students complaining that it has been asking for Rs 1,500 over and above the normal school fee and has refused to show report cards of students whose parents have not paid up.
The parents of students at St Joseph’s in Byculla are being forced to pay Rs 1,500 over and above the normal fee. Pic/Satyajit Desai
ADVERTISEMENT
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s education inspector had earlier served a notice to the school for charging an additional Rs 1,800 in the year 2011-2012, and again an amount of Rs 1,800 in 2012-2013. The education department of the BMC has asked the school not to threaten parents by refusing to show students’ report cards.
On the result day on May 1, the school refused to give the report cards and did not tell parents which division their wards had been promoted to. Parents also claimed that the principal of the school did not talk to them about the matter and shut the doors of her office.
MiD DAY had earlier reported about the parents’ frustration with St Joseph’s School, which was demanding Rs 1,500 from them apart from the fees. The school had even gone on to punish five girls after the story appeared in the paper.
According to a letter served to the school by the education department, the school has been asked to stop harassing parents. The letter states that Rs 40 lakh has already been collected from parents over two years and if this continues strict action will be taken.
Mohammed Zahir Ansari, father of a Std VIII student, said, “We had to go to the school to collect the report cards of our children. However, they did not give us the report card and asked us to pay the extra money. They did not show us the marks of our children so we don’t even know whether they have passed or not. We tried talking to the principal but she has been ignoring us. I will not be paying any more money as I have paid enough.”
Another parent, on condition of anonymity, said, “The problem is that the school is not bothered about the future of the children. For them, money has become more important.” School principal Sister Lovena was not available for comment despite repeated attempts to get in touch with her. MiD DAY has a copy of the notice served to the Byculla school by BMC’s education department.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
