Chennai: More than 300 parents of children admitted to Bala Vidya Mandir School in Adyar gathered at the school premises on Monday to voice their strong opposition to the discriminatory fee structure proposed by the management. In a recently circulated message, the management had informed parents that they have to choose between two options - opt for the nominal fee as prescribed by the Justice S.R. Singaravelu fee determination committee or pay the fees as fixed by the school (which amounts to double the amount set by the committee).
In case of choosing nominal fees, the students will be denied all co-curricular activities offered by the school and working hours will be restricted to about four hours. For those choosing to pay the higher fee, they will be able to avail of all facilities provided by the school.
This follows complaints made to the committee regarding the excessive fees collected by the school. After receiving the complaint, the committee had directed the school to refund the excess amount. Instead of complying with the direction, the school management, led by managing trustee Ramana Prasad, informed the parents about the differing fee structure.
Furthermore, the parents alleged that members of the school’s managing committee (comprising relatives of Mr Ramana Prasad) were minting money by forcing students to take mandatory additional courses. “While students of classes 4 to 11 are forced to take Robotix (costing more than Rs 8,000), students of class 9 to 12 are mandated to pay for IIT-JEE coaching, for which a sum of more than Rs 80,000 is collected,” said Mr Raman, whose child studies in class 8.
Significantly, Bala Vidya Mandir School was mired in a controversy in April, when four students of class 12 were treated in a humiliating manner for non-payment of fees within the stipulated time. Mr Suresh, whose daughter studies in class 12, said while they don’t want the future of their children to be affected in any way, the school must correct its course of action. “With a rich history of more than 40 years of existence, the school used to be child learning-friendly, but now it is anything but that,” he said.
The protesting parents also conveyed their gratitude to the school’s teachers, including its principal and vice-principal, for standing by them against the discriminatory fee policy. Though Mr Ramana Prasad couldn’t be reached for comment, in a statement released to the media in the evening, a spokesperson said they were “surprised by the recent unrest and would take necessary steps as per legal advice and ensure the smooth functioning of the school”, scheduled to reopen on June 4.
