A Vibgyor school. A parent says the school has increased the fees by 11 per cent. File pic
Despite a state government order asking schools not to increase fees and allow parents to pay in instalments, Vibgyor School has issued a notice saying those children whose parents have not paid fees will be considered as not interested in continuing with classes and their de-enrolment process would start from July 13.
Speaking to mid-day, a worried parent said, "Some parents have paid full fees while some have paid parts, but for some it is not possible to pay now. As per the government order, the school should give them more time on humanitarian grounds. But instead, it has decided to take such a drastic step."
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Talking about the issue, another parent said, "The school is clearly threatening parents by issuing a notice like this. It has created major panic among parents since it was issued on July 1. Children whose parents have not paid fees are also going to miss out on the school essential kits. The school has stated about the de-enrolment process but there is no clarity on how they will go about it. Parents paid donations at the time of admission, then why should they be forced to look for another school at this time?"
Parents of students from different branches of Vibgyor School met the school education minister with help from the Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS) and sought action against the school.
Chetan Pednekar, vice-president of MNVS said, "The school management is clearly against the government order. But the order has been challenged in court. In our meeting the school education minister assured us that the department would take appropriate action after consulting the advocate general."
When contacted, spokesperson of the school management shared a statement, which says, "Under these circumstances, we have provided a plethora of payment options to parents so that they can pay the fees with ease. Many of them have been paying on time and they have nothing to worry about. But the quality of education being provided to the children is suffering because of a small number of parents who have not paid yet. As many of their earnings have suffered on account of the pandemic, we have launched the VIBGYOR EduBridge Scholarship Programme, which entails a substantial fee waiver for such parents. In fact, the first set of parents has already been granted the scholarship. The programme has been kept open for parents to apply till July 5 and the school urges them to avail the benefit. Others should make a choice so that the school uses its limited resources to provide the best service to the parents who are paying."
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