Discord between school managements and parents over fee structure is reportedly resulting in admissions being denied to children of parents’ associations members. While the members allege discrimination, school managements accuse them of using their associations to disrupt the functioning of the institutions.
According to K.A. Swaminathan, a school in Saibaba Colony had denied admission to Class XI to his son who had scored 455/500 marks in Standard X. The boy had been studying in the school from LKG. He alleged that the management had said the boy was denied admission because he (the father) was a member of the parents’ association.
“Students who had scored lesser marks were given admission and so far the management had made no complaints about the boy’s conduct at school. We never expected this and had not given application to any other school. Now, it is too late to get admission in a good institution, said Mr. Swaminathan. “I had received the complaint and have asked the Inspector of Matriculation to look into the issue and take action accordingly. According to Supreme Court Order, students of the school should be given priority while giving admissions,” said T. Rajendhiran, Chief Education Officer, Coimbatore.
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When asked about this, the school authorities said that the management was free to decide on giving admission to students. The members of the parents’ association created trouble for no reason. The parents had complained about collection of excess fee while the school provided better facilities for the students, said a representative of the school management.
Two parents, S. Ramesh and S. Senthil Kumar, have said in a petition to the High Court that their children were denied admission to a school in Peelamedu because the two of them were members of the parents’ association. Both their elder children were students of the school. The younger ones were not getting admission to the same school. T. Ganeshamoorthy, District Elementary Education Officer, Coimbatore, said he had visited the school on Friday and had given three days’ time for the management to respond to the complaint. As per the Court order, a decision would be taken in four weeks time, he said. The management of the school in Peelamedu refused to comment on the issue on Saturday. R. Manimohan, chairman, Students Welfare Association of Parents, said “Most of the private schools refused to form parents- teachers association, and turned bitter towards the parents when they formed associations on their own.”