Parents said the school could have used a paper for the purpose

LUDHIANA: A private school here on Friday put a stamp on a student’s arm to send reminder to his parents to pay his and his sister’s pending fees , instead of using a piece of paper for the purpose. The district education department has taken note of the incident and said it would order an inquiry to find out if the school authorities are guilty.

The incident took place on Friday when Harshdeep Singh, a student of Class VII of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB)-affiliated SDN School in Mundiyan Kalan area of Ludhiana, appeared at an examination.

Harshdeep’s parents had not been able to pay his school fee (Rs 760) for April and May, and also failed to clear Rs 6,805 dues of their 17-yearold daughter, who did her matriculation from the school this year.

The boy said, “In view of examinations, I did not carry my bag...so rather than writing the note on a question paper or any other piece of paper, my principal put a fee reminder stamp on my left arm.”

His father Kuldeep Singh, who is an auto-rickshaw driver, said, “This is sheer embarrassment. I earn Rs 300 on a daily basis and my another son too works and gets his salary on 25th of every month. We had already told the school that we would clear the dues on May 25. We could also not deposit my daughter’s fee for want of money, but that doesn’t mean they should harass my child.”

Disturbed by the incident, the parents went to the school office to lodge their protest. Mother Gurmeet Kaur, who is a peon in another school, said this is an utterly embarrassing incident for us and that the school should not have done this.

However, justifying the act, school’s principal Shamma Duggal said they had not deposited Rs 6,805 fee dues of their daughter Jaspreet Kaur who did her matriculation from this school this year and also not paid the school fee of their son. She said, “I told the boy to show this to his parents to remind them to pay the fees. Though this can be erased easily, his parents misbehaved with me for doing this.” Principal’s husband SK Duggal, who is also the chairman of the school, said that the school had sent them several reminders to clear the dues, but to no avail.

District education officer Swaranjit Kaur said, “This is sheer harassment. They can’t do this to any student. An inquiry will be marked and we will take strict action against the school.”

