| A father fighting against school capitation fees
When the City International school, a school in Manas Enclave, Faridi Nagar, Lucknow started its new session foe 2011-12, Dr Deepti Srivastava its Principal, sent a message to all the parents. It was brief and the main content was that they all needed to pay Rs. 2000 per child for the new Academic session. This was being taken in the name of Annual Fee. It said-"This will ensure that your child's place is ensured in the next academic session." It also said that only after receipt of Annual Fee will the books and other materials be issued by the school. Thus the school has made it compulsory to buy books and other material from there itself.
Both these are completely in opposition to the laws framed in this regards. But we all know that these things are happening everywhere. The only thing is that we generally don't raise our voice against such things. The reason is also very simple. First thing is that the matter is very sensitive and is related with our children. No one can take a risk about one's child's future. If the parents raise the voice, the child will have have to suffer in many ways. The second aspect is that the parents know that there is no one who is going to listen to their voice and hence all their protest will go waste and possibly may turn back upon them. But there is a person called Neeraj Kumar Singh from Mayur Vihar, Faridi Nagar, Lucknow who thought he would oppose it. He wrote a letter to the Principal of City International School asking her to stop taking this Annual Fee of Rs. 2000 as being illegal. Immediately the Principal ordered the school staff to stop his child from entering the school campus.
Thus the poor child had to face the hardship of not being allowed to enter the school for days. Neeraj Singh then wrote to various authorities including the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). There he narrated all the facts. But nothing came out of it.
Neeraj Singh then complained to the local police station and he also talked to my husband Amitabh. He talked to the local Station Officer and asked him to get the child enter the school immediately. Only after the [police intervention Neeraj Singh's daughter was allowed in the school.
But later on, the school somehow managed to get the money extracted, on other pretext. Neeraj Singh is planning to go for a Public Interest Litigation in this case. I think we must all support him, at least morally and mentally, in his attempts.
Dr Nutan Thakur,
Secretary,
IRDS,
Lucknow
# 94155-34525
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