At a time when Kashmir is in the throes of an unprecedented unrest, parents are narrating shocking stories of their fleecing by the private schools who are busy extracting fees from them by hook or crook. And in doing so, they are trying to be immune to the current turmoil that has affected everyone and caused massive loss to businesses and livelihoods. One elite franchise school called parents to get the assessment papers to be solved by their wards at home and then refused to hand these unless parents "cleared their dues," an euphemism for a full tuition fees. This is not only shameful but also disrespectful to the parents. It is like resorting to a brazen blackmail and the hostage-taking: you exploit the insecurities of the parents about their wards to force them to pay something you have no moral right to demand. The truth is that the schools in Valley have been shut fot the past four months. And in this period, every business has suffered and a large majority of the people have lost their livelihood
But what is galling is that despite being shut for four months, the private schools are not only charging the parents the tuition fees but also the bus fare.
There is, however, nothing new in their callous approach. These schools had done the same thing in 2014 when flood had wrought havoc and drowned large swathes of Valley. But even amidst that monumental tragedy, the only concern for these schools was their fees. It was only when the High Court issued notices to the schools seeking explanation for their conduct that they held back – albeit some of them continued to force parents to pay. The new crisis has once again highlighted the arbitrary nature of the functioning of the private schools in the state. At a time when thousands of people have lost their livelihoods, the private schools can’t be expected to operate in a state of blithe unconcern about the situation. It is both callous and unethical to demand full tuition fees from the parents, a large number of whom have been directly affected by the ongoing unrest and the rest are dealing with the indirect fallout of the crisis. No doubt, some schools have assured a reduction of the bus fare but this makes a little redeeming difference. Others have asked parents to pay full fees now and that they will consider some concession later. One, it is disingenuous to defer the relief. More so, given the scale and sweep of the current upsurge, parents needed the relief now than later. Second, it is crude to try to shield yourself from the economic fallout of the current crisis by demanding only a little less than the full fees for the months the schools were closed. What is needed is a change in this insensitive approach. It is time that private schools do their bit to help the situation by sharing in the collective grief rather than insulating themselves from it..
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
ACT NOW |
MONTHLY | Rs 100 | |
YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |