11 January,2011 07:05 AM IST | | Debarati Palit
Parents of DY Patil Std X students say principal ordered children out of prelims if they had not paid hiked fees
About 15 students of Std X in DY Patil School, Pimpri, were ordered out of the room where they were giving their preliminary examination yesterday morning, said their parents. The trouble over non-payment of fees is said to have lasted some 30 minutes, after which the students were allowed in again.
The school authorities, however, said the entire incident was being made up to spoil the name of the school.
Around 9.45 am, the students had sat down for their exams while their parents waited outside. According to the parents, the principal walked into the exam hall around 10 am and asked the students who had not paid their fees to walk out and call their parents.
"Around 15 students, including my daughter, were asked to leave the hall and call us. The authorities refused to let them sit for the exam till we paid the fees. They asked us to give in writing that we will pay the fees and the reason for not paying it," said Parents' Association president Kishor Pharande, whose daughter is a Std X student. "The school authorities had informed the students on Thursday that if they did not pay the fees by Saturday, they would not be allowed to sit for the exams. This happened even when the parents had spoken to the school authorities 10 days ago and said they would pay the fees, but after a proper decision was taken on the issue."
Pharande said parents explained to the authorities that they were waiting for the education board to take a decision, as was discussed earlier.
Sandeep Chavan, city vice-president of Forum for Fairness in Education, said students wasted 30 minutes and did not get extra time to make up for the interruption in the paper.
"After the parents and we intervened and explained matters, the school let the students sit for the exam, but they had lost almost 30 minutes in the process," said Chavan.
According to the parents, the school was also threatening the students, which was psychologically affecting them.
