Over 50 parents, on Thursday, staged a protest at the Indian Education Society (IES) School at Charkop, Kandivali (West). Around 50 students of Class 10 were unable to access online education due to the non-payment of last year's pending fees.
Parents of the students studying in Class 10 said their children have been denied access to online classes since June 15. Uday Ahire, a parent of a Class 10 student said, "My son was denied access to online classes after the first lecture on Tuesday. The login ID and password was blocked. When we called up the concerned teachers, they told us that access has been denied due to non-payment of pending fees."
Ahire added, "Then, we approached the school on Thursday and questioned the principal. The principal verbally told us that access was denied from the head office as fees of the last six months to one year were not paid. The principal assured us that online education would start if 40 per cent of the pending fees is paid immediately. Also, the principal asked us to give a post dated cheque and pay the remaining 60 per cent pending fees by September 30, 2021."
Rajneel Sonavane, an advocate supporting the parents, said, "We have written to the state School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray regarding this issue. Parents are willing to pay the fees, but need some additional time due to the financial crisis on account of job losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We request the school to resume online classes for all students and grant additional time to the parents to pay pending fees."
The school is affiliated to the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE). Despite repeated attempts, the school principal was not available for comment.
