(This story originally appeared in on May 3, 2017)

PUNE: Parents of kids studying in St Anne ’s School in Camp were in for a rude shock when they went to collect the report cards of their wards on Friday. The management refused to furnish the results of those students who have not paid the fees for the upcoming academic year.

Confusion prevailed as the management had earlier communicated to the parents that the fees could be paid by June, and most chose to pay later as per the last update received from the school.

The last exam was conducted on April 10, and on the same day, a physical copy was given to parents which stated that the fees had to be paid into three different accounts (for mobile application, maintenance and smart class development) by April 28. But, on the online portal, a message was sent out on April 19 informing parents of the extended June 15 deadline. Nowhere was it mentioned that one had to pay a portion of fees earlier.

A parent, who requested anonymity, fearing retribution for her two daughters, informed that the principal was rude to the parents, when they asked them about early payment of fees.

“On Friday, I had to miss work to collect the report card and then they refused to hand it over as they asked me to show the fee receipt. I asked my husband to make the payment online. By the time he could pay, teachers had stopped submitting report cards,” she rued.

Yet another parent said that the school’s application stated that those who couldn’t pay the fees by April could do so by June. He said, “We were under the impression that the date was extended. The class teacher was considerate enough to relay our issue to the principal, but it was not resolved. How can they link fees and handing out of the report cards? I will pay the fees later and then collect it. It is wrong on the part of the school to behave in such a manner.”

Single parent Rajni Dharma-Kamble, who has two daughters studying at the school, could complete the payment on time to get the report cards. However, she rued the fact that others had to suffer at an immediate notice. “Clarity about communication needs to be there,” he said. Harun Attar , education officer, Zilla Parishad said, “It is wrong on the part of the school to refuse the report card, as parents might want to change schools or get transferred. There is no need for the school to ask for the fee to be paid in advance.”

While Matin Mujawar , an education activist shared that the principal and management is creating their own set of rules, which is not in the best interest of students and the educational institute.

“There is no law that parents need to pay and only then can the report card be handed out. The education department needs to take cognisance of the issue, otherwise it is equally guilty as the school,” he said. An official from the administration department of St Anne’s confirmed that the report cards were given out after the partial fee receipt was shown, at least Rs 5,400 of the total Rs 36,000 needed to be paid.

“There was a slight miscommunication as we did not make it clear that part fees had to be paid. As a private school, we need income to pay the salary of our teachers and to continue with the maintenance work at school which is possible only during the summer break,” said the staffer on the condition of anonymity.

Besides the fee issue, a parent also alleged that the books and stationery amount collected was different for Catholic and non-Catholic students. “The former lot had to shell out Rs 2,100 for class III while the latter had to pay Rs 2,700. It makes no sense to have such discriminatory practice,” the parent added.

