Complaints rife of private schools adopting coercive fee collection tactics

Srinagar, Feb 12: The parents have voiced their grievances against private schools, accusing them of coercive tactics to collect of monthly tuition fees.

A group of parents complained that the school managements are not only demanding advance payment for the current month but are also resorting to phone calls, causing distress among parents and students alike.

The parents argue that the administrations of the schools have instructed teachers to make direct calls to homes, pressuring families to clear dues before the month concludes.

“This is not acceptable. The school cannot directly call the parents or the students to their home,” a group of parents said.

The parents highlighted that the current month is still ongoing, yet schools have already initiated efforts to compel parents to clear the fees.

“In case the parents fail to clear the dues on time, the school can charge late fees to the parents but making phone calls to the students and parents is uncalled for,” the parents said.

The parents whose kids are enrolled in private schools always remain at loggerheads with the management of the majority of these schools over the issue of monthly tuition fees.

The parents said even the banks which provide loans to the customers do not harass them the way private schools are doing it.

“Our kids are studying in the school for years together and will continue to remain enrolled in the respective schools. But we fail to understand why schools have assigned the job of non-teaching staff who are calling parents to clear the dues,” one parent said.

The parents said the schools should shun this method and adopt a decent way to inform the parents to clear the dues, in case any parent fails to clear it in due time.

Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK), Tasaduq Hussain Mir was not available for his comments while a top official of the School Education Department (SED) said the private schools will be advised not to harass the parents.

“Both schools and the parents share a long lasting bond as the kids remain enrolled in schools for a long period and no parent is expected to not clear the dues of his kids. Schools should do away with any such approach which annoys the parents,” the official said.