Hyderabad: Private schools in city torment students over fee payment

Hyderabad: A few child rights' activists and social activists has raised concerns over the private schools in the city harassing students over non-payment of fees. They pointed out that such activities can mentally harm the students and demanded the Telangana education department to take stern action on private schools.

According to Telangana School Parents Association that children should not be dragged into the fees matters and should be discussed amid parents and school management. The education department has miserably failed in streamlining private schools. They have no concrete plan on how to deal, as they have planned to form fee committee but that seems only on paper.

Asif Hussain Sohail, president of Telangana Parents Association for Child Rights & Safety said, "Harassing students over non-payment of the fee is not as per norms, the school management should directly communicate with parents, as children are not liberal to pay the school fee. I have received many complaints from parents that those students term fee or transport fee is pending and they are made to sit outside on the ground. The private schools have hiked schools fee and transportation fees and now are harassing students over non- payment of fees. But our education department is still silent over these issues, where is the subcommittee formed by the education department for monitoring the private schools? If this harassment continues we have planned to file a petition in the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) against the school management, as schools have no right to harass the students, as this type of act is harming students mentally and emotionally. We appeal to the parents to pay the fee and if there is any problem then they can directly talk with school management and ask for some time for paying the fee."

"Almost all the private school is communicating the fee pending elements to the student's in spite of communicating to the parents, as the school management is threatening the student that they will not be allowed to write the exam and that sought of statements are traumatising the children and also due to this children are getting mentally disturbed, as first off all children have lot of pressure in academic perspective and why this harassment is needed. Our education department never bothered what actives are taking place in the private school," said Robin Zacchecus, social activist

"My daughter was not allowed to sit in the classroom and also teacher warned if the term fee is not paid then she will not be allowed to write formative assessment II and the second term book will not be given, I have paid the first term fees, only there was delay in the second term and communicating this with my daughter was not correct," said Rohan , whose daughter studies in a private school.