‘Litigant parent’: Hyderabad schools embarrass students over fees

HYDERABAD: Schools in Hyderabad seem to be taking some harsh measures with children whose parents did not pay the full fees during the ongoing pandemic. ‘Litigant parent’, ‘dropout’, ‘fee not paid’ are some of the comments being mentioned by some private schools on transfer certificates (TC) of students, whose parents questioned managements for violating fee regulation norms.
Many parents told TOI this is practice that will affect future prospects of their kids. Apart from the fact that the remarks will make it difficult for them to get admission in other schools, a TC is an important document that must be presented in different situations. Students may have to face questions and humiliation each time the TC is presented, parents feared.
A transfer certificate issued by a school in Hyderbad
“How am I a litigant parent? I was among those who asked the school to follow GO No 46 on fees. Now the school has mentioned ‘litigant parent’ on my son’s TC,” said Shaik Sikindar, who took a TC for his son studying in class V from Niraj Public School, Ameerpet.
He said that initially he checked for his son’s details and did not see the remark by the school for over a month. “Until another parent called and enquired about the remark, I did not notice it,” he said.
Another parent, who took TCs for both her children studying in class IV and VI from the same school, said that she too found ‘litigant parent’ on her children’s TC.
“My child studied in the school for last eight years. We never questioned them about anything,” she said.
“During the pandemic, because of financial constraints, we approached the school and the management had no respect towards parents. In the end, they rewarded us with this remark,” she said.
Jivitesh Reddy B, principal of Niraj school claimed that the remark was mentioned on TCs of only four to five students, whose parents damaged the reputation of the school. “We want to alert the next school about what kind of parents they are going to deal with,” said Reddy. The principal claimed that although the school did not violate any norms, the parents went on to write against the school to education department officials and others.
Another school in Bowenpally is said to be mentioning ‘dropout’ or ‘not promoted’ on TCs of fee defaulters. “When I went to apply for TC for my younger daughter, they told me that if I fail to clear dues, they will mention ‘dropout’ on my child’s TC,” said a parent of class III student.
He said that though the state has promoted all students and asked schools to not insist on TCs, no rules are implemented on the ground. “One-and-a-half years of my child’s education is wasted. I have no option except to wait until I have required money to clear dues,” the parent added.
Many also claimed that their children are given TCs without applying for the document as they participated in the protest against the school.
“My son’s school gave him TC claiming that I made a post against the school on social media. I never made any such post. I had put forth my opinion on fee concession on parents group,” said a parent of class 1 student, Glendale International School, Bandlaguda.
Minu Salooja, assistant director of the school, however, said that the school did not give TC to any student forcefully. “It’s true that we have sent an advanced intimation saying to opt for another school if parents are unhappy with us, but did not give TCs forcefully,” she said.