Panvel school bars 'defaulting' kids from open house

A file picture of parents agitating against a hike in school fees. Representational pic

In a seemingly vindictive move following a year of agitation between school authorities and parents, St Joseph's High School, Panvel, barred students who defaulted on capitation fee payments from attending the open house session on August 21 and 22. According to irate parents, the school sent a notice informing of an open house on Monday and Tuesday, but mentioned that it would be inaccessible to students who have not paid their fees yet.

The parents had alleged that the school management was charging them a high capitation fee and, consequently, stopped paying the school fees. Speaking to mid-day, a parent, Manisha Patil, said, "Children whose fees were unpaid were given holiday on Monday and Tuesday for no reason. We learnt from other parents that there was an open house for the children's preliminary exam. We called the school authorities to ask about it, but they refused to respond. We gathered outside the school on Tuesday and tried to speak with the principal, but we were made to stand outside the gates. The guards had a list on them that named parents who could be allowed inside the school premises to attend the open house."

Earlier, the parents had approached BB Chavan, the deputy director of education, who had issued a notice to the school asking it to avoid being biased towards any student.

Despite repeated attempts, Neti Srinivasan, spokesperson of the school trust, Ryan Group of Institute remained unavailable for the comment.

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