KOLKATA: After pushing deadlines for fee arrears several times to accommodate children whose parents have not paid, schools have taken the stand of not allowing such kids into online classes as the new session starts for most schools on April 5 — and, for some, on April 12. Many schools have held back information about the subject scores in the final exams and report cards of such students. Till fees are cleared, many schools have refused to promote children to the next level.
Schools have not yet taken the final step of striking names off rolls and said that till fees are cleared, they can stay at the level they were on last year.
Birla High School for Boys and Sushila Birla Girls’ High School have told defaulting parents that their children will not be allowed to attend online classes when the schools reopen virtually. “Their names have not been struck off the register yet, but they will not be sent the links to the new classes. Technically, they can continue in the classes they were in last year. We hope we are sending the message aloud now,” said school spokesperson Brigadier V N Chaturvedi.
The school-fee cases where parents and schools have locked horns are being heard in both the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court. The latter, on October 13 last year, had given a 20% relief in tuition fees to parents because of the pandemic with a deadline of clearance by November 8. In every school, there are about 150-200 parents who are on the defaulting list.
At South Point School, report cards have been issued but defaulting parents were told their kids will not be allowed to attend online classes when the school reopens, said spokesperson Krishna Damani.
The list is long in St Thomas Kidderpore too. Parents are being individually informed that there would be no more shifting of deadlines and their children will not be allowed into the online classes, said spokesperson John Ghosh. The numbers are comparatively smaller in St James’ School, but report cards of students whose parents have defaulted on payment have been withheld. Principal T H Ireland has asked them to collect the report cards from him, after which a final call on their wards will be taken. Report cards have been withheld for defaulters in Shri Shikshayatan School, too. “The numbers are smaller now, but we had to take a stand somewhere,” said spokesperson Bratati Bhattacharya.