Thane: School cites policy, asks parents to pay Rs 50,000 for leaving certificate

THANE: A Thane couple was in for a rude shock after an international school here allegedly demanded Rs 50000 from them for issuing a leaving certificate after they decided to migrate their daughter, who has learning disabilities, to a different school.
The father, who is a government employee and stays in the Majiwada area, told TOI that his daughter who has learning disabilities was studying in a prominent school in the city but was unable to cope up with the studies following which they decided to admit her to a state board school from the current academic year.
“My daughter was unable to cope up with the strenuous study schedule of CBSE schools and so we decided to shift her to a state board school in our locality which also accommodated students with special learning needs. We approached the school in May for seeking a leaving certificate but they demanded Rs 50000 as partial term fees stating management decision. How can we pay the fees when our daughter hasn’t even attended classes,” said the distraught father.
The helpless family claimed to have pleaded before the school but to no effect following which they approached few activists after which the school is learnt to have rolled back its decision.
“It is unfair on the part of the school administration to have made such a demand. We questioned the school following which they agreed and issued the LC without taking any money. The government should also look into such instances where the parents are unnecessarily harassed by schools as many parents will bow down before the schools and not pursue the issue fearing losing out crucial time,” said Sandeep Pachange, MNS youth wing general secretary, who intervened in the issue.
A representative of the school confirmed the development but claimed the school has a policy of charging penalty if students decide to leave after a certain period of time.
"We alert parents in January every year that if they wish to migrate their child for the next academic year which begins April, they should intimate us latest by February, else they will be charged a certain penalty amount, which is a policy decision of our school. The parents of the child from Thane were also informed about the same. We have taken utmost care of their child during her association with our school," said the representative.
Meanwhile, the education department said she hasn't come across such complaints yet but appealed parents to inform them in such situations.
“We haven’t come across any such complaint yet. Nonetheless, there is no policy where schools can charge parents for issuing leaving certificate. However, any form of dues has to be cleared by the parents. It is the right of the parents to admit their wards or change schools of their choice. We will take action on such complaints in the future,” said Lalita Dahitule, education officer at Thane Zilla Parishad.