Feud Between Parents & Bengaluru School Deepens After Authority Issues Transfer Certificates

The feud over fees hike by the school authorities has deepen after administration issued transfer certificates to the students whose parents were protesting. The incident is of Bengaluru’s Daffodils English School Association where some parents alleged that administration has hiked the fee without receiving nod from the Karnataka Education Department. The school administration has thus issued transfer certificates to seven students from class 9 and 10, whose parents have not given fees since last four years.

Since February, parents have been unable to enroll their children in the school for the academic year 2023–24 due to infractions such the lack of government clearance for the fee structure, which is required by the Karnataka Education Act. The dispute started in 2018, but the school’s response came after some parents allegedly skipped four years’ of fee payments since the price structure lacked official approval.

Since February, about 10 students have been detained at the entrance. The parents complained of rights abuses and retaliation for raising concerns to the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR). As warnings to pay fees went unheeded, the school made the decision to issue TCs to the seven students, citing that authorities had rejected the parents’ claims. “The school has made a definitive decision to award TC to the children of these 7 chronic defaulters and has done so with the support and strong advice of the School Parents Teachers Association,” said the school in the communication. Further the release targeted the parents of showing irresponsible behavior and failure on there part to fulfill their responsibility for their children’s education.

The school administration has further alleged that these parents are actively depriving their kids of their right to an education and thereby mentioned that no service is provided for free. Issues like unqualified teachers, nepotism in hiring, capitation fees, and a lack of fee transparency have been brought up by parents. However, according to the school, 18 of the 25 protesting parents’ issues have been handled by paying fees or accepting TCs without payment.