New age schools fleecing parents

Vijayawada: New age private, digital and corporate schools are fleecing the parents boasting that they would provide the best education. Parents, who wanted to admit their wards in best schools, are shelling out huge sums hoping that the schools would provide the best foundation for their children’s education.

Highlights:

• It seems 'Pay to get everything you wear, write and read' is the watchword professed by new generation schools
• Teachers, though aware of this unauthorised loot, keep mum to save their jobs
• Some unauthorised schools set a goal of five to 10 kids per teacher-to bring them for admission by convincing their parents-to get salary for summer vacation

It seems 'Pay to get everything you wear, write and read' is the watchword professed by new generation schools. Make hay while the sun shines, they say. The proverb suits aptly to many private, digital and corporate schools, which mushroomed in the city.

Especially for running classes from LKG to Class V, the schools shed all morals and fleecing parents on the pretext of textbooks, notebooks, uniform, stationery, ties, shoes, slates and the list goes on.A lion’s share of these schools has no authorisation to run the schools.

The schools work as affiliated to some high schools which only are recognised. But for primary level classes, the schools shunned morals and looting parents by forcing them to pay for pencil to textbook, which is not part of curriculum.

Everyone is agreeing it was exploitation of kids and their parents by managements of schools. Teachers, though aware of this unauthorised loot, keep mum to save their jobs. Some unauthorised schools set a goal of five to 10 kids per teacher to bring them for admission by convincing their parents to get salary for summer vacation period.

Many schools have been conducting digital classes with air- conditioned rooms and charging Rs 20,000 towards annual fee for LKG. The expenses on account of books, uniform, footwear and others are not included in the fee. Similarly, the students should be prepared to pay exam fee separately.

Some schools, which have already earned good results, are employing aaya or baby sitter to monitor new students. They help the students to eat, attend nature’s call and inform parents if necessary. The teachers of the school were told to tie the kids to chair by snatching their freedom. Kishore and Rama, parents of Suresh, (names changed) an LKG girl, told this correspondent that teachers of the school were well trained to chain the kids to chairs (like many people do with animals) to prevent from freely moving in the classroom.

“They wanted the kids sit like toys and torture them by confining to four walls from the day one of the school so that they can be groomed the way the school wishes to teach lessons. You can imagine what kind of psychological effect such treatment leaves in the tender minds. When we grilled the principal on this chaining incident,” she blamed the teacher to avoid damage to their institution. “We did not complain to cops as our son maybe targeted by the school syndicate,” they lamented.

By noor shaik