Parents protests, curses fail to move Education department

Himayathnagar: "Balaghosha and Mathrughosha (agony of children and agony of mothers) will drown you (govt) and you will pay for it," is anguished refrain of parents, who are aghast at the indifference of the State government and the school education department.

Scores of parents staged a protest before the State Directorate of School Education (SDSE) on Monday, raising slogans against the loot of corporate schools. They asked how many more deaths of Yesaswinis would move the government. Several parents have children studying in the St Andrews School, Bowenpally. They accused the school management of threatening and blackmailing them on the issue of school fee. Sujatha, a parent, charged that the school management told the parents to "go to hell," saying it would not implement the court orders on fee collection.

The aggrieved parents claimed to have made rounds around the offices of the SDSE, Regional Joint Director of School Education, Hyderabad, and DEO for the past sixty days. One parent claimed that the RJD had made it clear that they would not entertain any complaints on the fee issue.

The parents have been seeking 50% reduction in fee as their financial distress continued since Covid lockdown due to job loss, pay cuts, business loss etc. They want schools to follow the GO.46. As many as 11 schools were found guilty by none other than the education department during inspections in August-September last year. "For the reasons best known to them, no authority dares take action against schools, despite them challenging every authority of the State and the Centre, including the judiciary," the protesters alleged. Also, the parents complain that the school management devised a divide-and-rule policy among parents. Some formed their own parents' association to get away with whatever they wanted. Court orders are also not bothered and they denied online classes to the children for not paying full fee. Some allowed examinations but did not give marks to the students.

The parents asked the State government, education minister, and the State education department how many children should pay price with their lives in Telangana because of their inaction and silence. When contacted, St Andrews School principal Shamita Bhattacharya denied the allegations levelled by the parents against the school.