School asks parents for blank cheques for admission

Updated on: Friday, April 15, 2011

A school in Chinchpokli has asked parents to issue a blank cheque so their children in kindergarten class can be admitted to class one. A circular issued by Matushri ULA and Matushri DNK English Primary School does not specify the fee amount and states that the school will fill in the amount on the cheque.

The school has given the parents three days' time - April 13 to 15 - to hand over the blank cheque, failing which admissions will not be granted.

After parents protested this move, the school has admitted it was a mistake to issue the circular, a copy of which is available with Mumbai Mirror.

Of a total of 3,500 students on its rolls, the senior kindergarten class of the 50-year-old school has 80 children.

How can they do this?

"I was shocked to see the circular. How can a school ask something like this?" said a parent on condition of anonymity. The school has not specified the fee amount. If the school does not revoke the circular, we will stage a protest."

Another parent alleged that in the past the school has hiked fees with prior notice. "Last year, they charged some registration fee of Rs 11,000. They have been constantly extracting money from us," the parent added.

Seeking political help

During a recent meeting the school told parents that the fee hike had been proposed to tide over the additional expenditure the school will incur to pay teachers' salaries in keeping with the Sixth Pay Commission.

The helpless parents have sought the political intervention.

"No school can issue a circular like this. We will ensure that the circular is taken back," says Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena's vice-president Chetan Pednekar.

Parents said that in the past when the fee was hiked, parents had meetings with the management and also sought a reply through the Right To Information Act to know how much is spent on non-teaching staff. "We have sought the information about a year and half ago. All our questions still remain unanswered," said the parent.

School's version

The school told Mumbai Mirror that issuing the circular was a mistake. "We have not decide on the fee structure and so we issued the circular. As parents are unhappy about this, we have decided to take back the circular and will not hike the fee," said school trustee Chiman Sangoi.

Blank and a miss

“There is no provision in existing rules that allows a school to ask for a blank cheque. If the fee amount is not finalised, they could have collected a certain amount and later collected the difference," said educationist Basanti Roy who is former divisional secretary of the Mumbai divisional board.

School asks parents for blank cheques for admission

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