Fee hike issue: Parents, school record statements

Chandigarh: Following complaints regarding hiked fee, parents and principal of Mount Carmel School recorded their statements after they were summoned by the Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (

CCPCR

) for the same.

Alleging that the school has been demanding hiked fee despite stay orders from the district court, the Mount Carmel Parents Association had submitted a complaint to the education department and the CCPCR last week, TOI had reported.

In their statement the parents shared that they had been receiving calls and notices from the school to deposit the dues with 8% hike for September and October. “Most of us have tried to deposit the fee through cheque and through speed post for the two months but the school is not accepting the same and is demanding 8% hike in all dues from April. The commission has recorded the statement of the parents and principal and the decision is yet to come,” said president of Mount Carmel Parents Association Gurpreet Katwal.

They also shared that the school was threatening them with striking off their child’s name in case the school fee was not paid. They further alleged that the principal was not meeting the parents. But the principal, however, shared that the school had never refused to meet any parent and everyday one hour had been set apart for them to come and meet the principal on any issue.

Principal Iona Valerie Brendish told TOI that the parents had been giving fabricated information. “The stay order was granted by civil judge (senior division). This order of the civil judge on the issue of fee was stayed by the additional district judge. So the school management decided to enhance the fee by a very nominal 8%. The parents were informed accordingly and they, except for those few, have paid the enhanced fee for 2017-18.”

“The school has never asked for any written statement from these plaintiffs that they are not willing to pay the fee, etc. In fact, these plaintiffs had been trying their best to force the school to accept the fee, which they decided to pay according to their whims and fancies,” she added. Talking about the threat to students as alleged by the parents, she said that, “The dues slip which they have referred to as a threat from the school is just a reminder to those few parents who have not deposited the fee in time. In the history of the school, no student has been expelled on non-payment of dues.”

“We have recorded the statements,” sources in the commission said.