Dispute over fee: DPS Srinagar ‘bars’ Class-2 student from attending online classes

The girl was ‘barred’ over pending utility and transportation charges pertaining to the lockdown period

Parents of a student studying at Delhi Public School (DPS), Srinagar, filed a complaint with the Jammu and Kashmir education department on Tuesday after the school allegedly barred the Class-2 student from attending online classes over pending utility and transportation charges pertaining to the lockdown period.

(Representative Photo/HT)

The student’s father, Wajahat Waseem, said, “For around 20 months since August 2019 when restrictions were imposed in Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370 and due to the Covid lockdown my daughter has not been to school. However, I still paid the monthly fee during the curfew and lockdown period amounting to ₹56,400,” Waseem said.

The pending dues amount to of ₹24,000, which includes annual charges that the UT government has barred schools from charging during the lockdown period. “The pending sum includes transportation charges, a service that they did not provide and annual charges such as heating charges. When our child did not attend school, how are these charges justified? This is unscrupulous exploitation on part of the school,” he said.

On Tuesday, Waseem and his wife Nuzhat Wajahat wrote to director school education, Kashmir, complaining that the school had violated provisions of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, which is applicable post abrogation of Article 370 and also different circulars of the UT administration.

They requested the director to direct the school management to restore his daughter’s online classes and stop them from ‘exploiting’ parents.

“The management should also be directed to refund our admission fee amounting to ₹1,10,000 so that we are able to admit our daughter in another educational institution,” the parents wrote in the complaint.

Waseem claimed that he had not been paid for seven months. “Right to Education is a fundamental right. How can DPS Srinagar bar a child from attending online classes? The government is still undecided on transportation charges and charging annual charges has been totally banned,” he said.

Calls to the vice-principal and member of the school managing committee Shafaq Afshan did not elicit any response. HT contacted the administration section of the school on its landline number where an office bearer, after hearing about the issue, urged this reporter to call after five minutes. They did not pick up the phone thereafter.

Director school education Mohammad Younis Malik said they will ascertain the facts of the case. “We will be issuing a notice to the school, accordingly,” he said.