Teachers made to punish fee defaulters

​Hyderabad: Children, in private schools, are caught between the apathy of the Education department and the unending saga of punishment by school management over delayed payment of fee. According to official sources in the school education department, the list of growing cases of children being humiliated on account of non-payment of fees has been growing.

Since beginning of the current year, there are several incidents in which managements have been roping in teachers to punish children for non-payment of fee. A senior official of the Telangana State Council of Educational Training and Research said, “Children in the schools repose their trust in their teachers. But, when they turn to give punishment and humiliate them, it will have an undeniable adverse effect on children’s mind. And, it’s a serious issue.”

However, the department could act only within its preview and not beyond, as it lacks effective legal backing to act tough, sources in the department said. Further, from official accounts itself, children studying from primary to high school are being subjected to various kinds of humiliations. For example: in February this year, a reputed private school in Charminar has come under fire for beating up children for non-payment of fees.

Another school in Srinagar colony went a step ahead denying children of primary classes to write examinations and stand outside till their parents come and clear the dues. But, the gory nature of it had come out when the menace had claimed the life of a tenth class student K Sai Deepthi of a private school in Malkajgiri. The girl had ended her life after she was not allowed to write examination and was made to stand outside the school for not paying the fee of Rs 2,000.

Coming under increasing pressure, the State government had directed the schools not to increase the fee for the academic year 2018-19. However, the private school managements had gone to the court and obtained a stay. Earlier, the government was directed by the court to conduct a survey on the private schools on the issue of indiscriminate fee collections.

Regional Joint Director of School Education, Hyderabad, S Vijaya Lakshmi said, "Following the directions of the State High Court we have carried out a survey of 130 schools and submitted the same to the higher-ups. We can take any further action only after the court gave its verdict on this issue."

However, Hyderabad School Parents’ Association (HSPA) complained that the State government has washed off its hands blaming the court giving two different and conflicting orders making it difficult for the parents.

Executive member of the HSPA Ashish N Gupta has found fault with the State government for not instructing its legal counsel representing before the bench which had given the stay order about the order of another bench of the same court.

Unless the government brings either an ordinance or enact a law on the lines of the one in Tamil Nadu, its orders may not stand to the legal scrutiny, he said. Expressing fear, he said until the government comes up with an act or courts give their directions, children will continue to suffer at the hands of private schools due to the fee menace.