WHY WE DIFFER

The various reactions that have emanated from the managements of the schools, through the press, utterings to parents or parent bodies in schools, or during the just concluded talks with the District Collector have underlined the main points of differences between the managements and the Parent Bodies/educationalists.  Though some of the arguments were made during the discussions before the District Collector, we did not engage in exhaustive replies or to counter each and every point, due to paucity of time as well as not to allow the proceeding to go waste by falling into the trap of arguments and counter arguments.  However, since most of these arguments have been made by them in the media and to parents/children in schools also, for enabling the members to have a proper assessment, we are giving their points in block letters and the actual position as seen by us in italics below each:

Children are not harassed or put to any trauma on the fees issue.   To state that the schools are doing it is a motivated false allegation:

The facts are known to all the parents whose children have been harassed, singled out or discriminated against in one way or other on this issue.  Hence, we need not explain the lie in the argument.  At best a school could speak for itself, not in common on this issue.  For that matter, even where specific instances have been reported, the schools have been denying the same on record but perpetuating it in practice.   

Asking children to pay up is an age old practice and cannot be complained against. 

Practices have to change with change in times and as per the law of the land.  It used to be an age old practice to cane children or even bang their heads.  Not any more.  Children also have become more sensitive.  Further, using teachers to speak to children on issues of fees would only denigrate the stature of the teachers in the minds of the children, who are taught to worship teachers for their self-less service.

When the Corporation threatens to disconnect water supply due to arrears of tax, it is not taken as harassment.  Then why in the case of school fees it should be treated as harassment.

Corporation can threaten to disconnect water supply only against arrears of a legal fees.  Not something above the prescribed fees.  It can be done only with proper notice and as per law.  The so called threat also cannot be delivered on the children, instead of the head of a family.  Threatening for fees than prescribed by law is like threatening to withdraw a fundamental right for not paying a bribe.

Actually, no school is running on profit.  We find it difficult to run the affairs with the fixed fees.

Let them have the guts to prove this by putting their accounts before the parents.  In those cases where we have details, it is not a fact. The increasing growth of groups of institutions also does not support this argument.

The land and building belongs to us.  If we want, we can build flats instead of running schools.  If we are not allowed to conduct our business as per our convenience, we will close down the schools.  Government cannot dictate to us.

Enjoyment of various concessions by these schools is based on the fact that most of the trusts are registered as charitable trusts for a defined and definite purpose.  It is not a private property.  Even in private property, all land belongs to the State and ownership is subject to Constitutional guarantees as well as restrictions. In the case of Trusts, the responsibility of the Trustee to the property of the trust is akin to that of a Public Servant to Government property.  The trusts cannot expect parents to pay returns on the capital gained by them through donations given by the parents themselves or by the society.  The donations were given for the particular cause and not for doing business like building flats and selling them.  Recognition has been granted to them for running a school only as per their own application for recognition.  To threaten the Government against implementing a law is ___??????.

If parents do not want our school they can put their wards in any other school.

Very old argument.! Does not hold good any more due to enactment of Fee determination Act.  Now the question is whether the product on which an MRP has been legally determined will be allowed to be sold at a higher price.

If parents do not want to avail of the facilities and extra facilities provided by us, they can put their children in Government schools.

This argument also is a worn out one in the light of the enactment of the RTE Act where even the Government has made it mandatory that at least 25% should be admitted into private schools, from the deprived sections of the society. 

Further, the District Collector categorically stated in the meeting on 10.3.12 that extra-curricular activities cannot be imposed on every one and can be only optional. 

In the case of extra- curricular activities and facilities, it should be restricted to out of school timings and not during the approved school time.

During the meeting on 10.3.12 itself, we have pointed out that the Fees has determined only after considering the expenses and facilities in each school and therefore the excuse of facilities cannot be an argument to collect higher fees than that is determined.

Parents are not bothered about the necessity to pay the teachers salary.

Parents have never objected to paying the staff (whether teaching or non-teaching) a decent salary.  In fact in the candle light meeting held on 3.3.12 in memory of Late Teacher Uma Maheswari and Late Student Anooj, we have passed a resolution that when the Government goes through the expenditure statement of the schools at the time of fixing fees, they should also look into the salary paid to teachers based on minimum wages and other relevant acts.  On the contrary, is widely stated, that in many institutions, the actual payments made are far less than what is shown on records (Many teachers are also Parents).  To stem such tendencies and exploitation, we prefer to have a properly-democratically constituted PTA. But, for that what do they say?  See below:

We do not want to form PTA and we cannot run the school as per their wishes.

When even a country as complex and big as India could be run democratically, how come schools run by Trusts are an exception?  How do managements think that parents of children of the school and teachers giving their entire life for the benefit of the institution will advice adversely - unless of course the interests of the institution are not the same as the that of the individuals managing the institutions - what blatant methods of exposing themselves!

Do these schools not see the danger in the situation even after the violent incidents that took away the life of a teacher in Chennai and that of a student at Udumelpet and realize that a communication gap between the parent community and teaching community is detrimental to the campus atmosphere in schools?

Last but not the least, the arrogant manner exhibited during the meeting before the District Collector by some representatives of the Management made us wonder thus:  If such behaviour could be exhibited before authorities, how they will be behaving to the staff who are totally at their mercy and if this is their attitude to Parents from whom they are collecting fees, how they will be expected to behave with innocent children inside the campus? 

Can those who are not able to respect the roots, be reasonably be expected to worship the fruits alone?