In an unprecedented move, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has ordered a private school in Bengaluru, which had allegedly been violating several norms under the Right to Education Act, to purchase 25 computers for government schools in the city by way of penalty.
The Commission directed Daffodils English School in Sanjay Nagar to purchase five computers for each of the five government schools in the neighbourhood within a fortnight.
The Commission found that the school management had punished students by making them run five laps in the playground, stand under the hot sun for an hour and insisting that they wear shoes of a particular brand. The school had also absolved itself of all responsibility for the safety of students and said the onus fell on the parents.
After a parent approached the Commission in April alleging that their child was denied a report card resulting in mental harassment, the Commission conducted an inquiry into the practices followed by the school.
The inquiry revealed that when parents failed to pay the annual feels, the school authorities inked a note on the child’s arm. “It was also found that students were forced to take international assessment, and fees were collected even if a child was not interested in it. No parent teacher meeting was conducted, and fees were taken illegally from students admitted under the RTE quota,” a source in the Commission said.
Parents were also allegedly forced to shell out Rs. 400 for tickets to the school’s annual day function.
The management also did not disclose bank details of the school.
In its reply to the Commission, the school said that results of those children who had not paid their fees had been withheld.
The Commission, in its order, stated that the school had failed ‘in its basic duty of giving opportunity to each and every child to not only excel in academics but also in co-curricular activities’. It directed the management to remove a clause in the school diary, which insisted that students had to wear shoes of a particular brand, and noted that parents should be free to buy books from any source. The school has also been forbidden from withholding mark cards, forcing children to take the competitive international exam or charging for annual functions.
It has also issued a warning that as long as children are in school or on a field trip, their safety is the responsibility of the school.
The Deputy Director of Public Instruction and the Block Education Officer have been directed to identify schools that lack computers, and ensure that they get the same within a fortnight.
Aparna R., principal of the school, rubbished most of the allegations and said that the Commission did not consider their side of the story. She said that the order was unfair and the management will take a call on the order.
Published - May 26, 2018 09:30 pm IST
