KL News Network
Srinagar
After the Jammu and Kashmir High Court dismissed the petition filed by a lawyer challenging collection of tuition fee by private schools in Kashmir for the unrest period in 2016, the schools in Kashmir valley have hardnosed and are using apparently high-handed systems to collect the fee from the students.
On Saturday, a top private school in Srinagar, Iqbal Memorial Institute “unethically” locked students of class 9 and 10 in their classrooms due to delay a delay in clearance of fee for the past 3 months.
The parents of the students of the said classes at the school accused the school authorities of using cheap and harassing tactics to collect the fee from students.
A group of students said that they were locked in their classroom for the whole day. The students were not even allowed to have lunch.
The parents have been pleading that due to the recent unrest in the valley, they are not able to pay the fees immediately because they have not earned anything. However, they said, they will clear the dues once the situation turns normal. “Locking the students in the classrooms is ruthless and brutal,” the aggrieved parents said.
The parents have also accused the Principal of the school of defending this horrendous and disgraceful act. “Principal of the school justified the act against the students,” one of the parents said. “It is an insult to us. Our kids were subjected to mental torture which is indecent on part of the institution.”
This is not only this “prestigious” institute that has resorted to harassment for recovering the dues. Earlier, a video surfaced on the social networking site Facebook. Apparently shot by a parent in the Green Valley Educational Institute, the brief capsule tells the plight of parents summoned to clear the outstanding in cash. “The parents are seen shouting at the Principal who apparently is not accepting the cheque payment from the parents of the students.”
One of the parents said that the principal of the school did not accept the cheque payments from the parents. “Everyone knows that there is a cash crunch due to demonetization. Despite that they demand that the payment be made in cash.”
He said that a person can only withdraw Rs 2500 from the ATM per day, how is it possible for me to arrange Rs 73,000 in cash,? he asked.
