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Dispute over fee: Notice to DPS, Srinagar, over barring girl from online classes
Srinagar additional deputy commissioner has asked the school’s principal to clarify position, estore online classes of the Class 2 student
The J&K government issued a notice to Delhi Public School, Srinagar, for allegedly baring a Class-2 student from attending online classes after her parents did not pay for transportation fee and other annual utilities during the lockdown period.
The Srinagar additional deputy commissioner has asked the school’s principal to appear before his court on Saturday to clarify his position and asked the school to restore online classes of the student.
The parents of the student had filed a complaint with the education department.
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.
Waseem and his wife Nuzhat Wajahat had written 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.
