Presidium School in Ahinsa Khand I, Indirapuram, held back the results of 50 students citing non-payment of development charges.
Incensed, parents held a demonstration in the school's compound on March 18. Shivani Jain, president of the parents’ association, told City Spidey that they would hold a hunger strike in front of the school on March 30 if the issue was not resolved. She demanded refund of all charges paid for development of the school till date.
Jain said, "The development charge is a violation of the terms and conditions laid down in the NOC issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). First, the school extorted development charges from parents, and now they are withhoding students' results." The NOC was accessed by parents through an RTI query.
Points 6 and 10 of the NOC terms make transparency of school records mandatory. It also restrains the school from charging caution money or development fees.
When City Spidey took up the matter with a senior administrator of the school, Rajender Kumar, he dismissed the episode as a "publicity stunt". He, however, admitted that the withholding of the results was linked to payment when he said, “The results will be published only after the parents clear their dues.”
He defended the development charge, saying, “Though Presidium School is affiliated to CBSE, it is an unaided institution which completely relies on funds generated through fees.”
Further justifying the charge, he said that the high-class facility that the school provides comes at a premium. The school authorities confirmed a meeting with the aggrieved parents in the presence of the Ghaziabad city magistrate on March 29.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Samrat Roy)
