Author: Archana Pushpendra
Publication: Mid-Day
Date: October 10, 2006
URL: http://mid-day.com/news/city/2006/october/144860.htm
Students at St Joseph's High School in Kandivli
have been asked not to celebrate Diwali this year. Instead, the government-aided
school has instructed each of its 1,400 students to pay Rs 5,000 as donation
to the school fund!
This money, they say, will be used to reconstruct
the existing school building. Std X students have even been warned that if
they do not pay up, they will not be allowed to appear in the board examinations.
Several parents protested this decision yesterday.
One of them said, "The management is so blunt about the whole affair.
When we told them we couldn't afford it, we were asked to spend less on sweets
and clothes this Diwali! They insisted that we have to cough up Rs 5,000 as
donation."
Said another parent whose daughter is in Std
X, "We didn't realise the gravity of the problem, as the circular carried
only an appeal.
It was later that the school resorted to arm-twisting
techniques and is now threatening to disallow our children from appearing
in the board exams."
Parents disclosed that earlier too the school
management had come up with weird ways of collecting money. "They made
us buy onions and potatoes from the market and sold them to families of other
children at higher prices!" a parent said.
Added another parent, whose child studies
in Std VI, "If that was not enough, they made the students sell old newspapers
and asked them to deposit the money in the school fund."
A parent added that the management also plans
to give donation collection books to the students to collect 'funds' from
their neighbourhoods.
"The school claims that it would offer
lucky coupons to the donors and the winner will be given a prize. Isn't it
funny that even the prize will have to be bought by us?" he said. Another
added once he caught his son stealing Re 1 coin from his pocket.
"My son told me 'It is compulsory for
students to deposit at least Re 1 every day in the school collection box.'
So, he resorted to theft!" he said.
Internal matter
The school's principal Fatima Pereira told
MiD DAY that this is an internal problem. "We will sort it out with parents
and would not like to speak about it," she said. Arundhati Chavan, president
of the school's PTA, said, being a government-aided school, the manner in
which the school is seeking donations is illegal and that they would hold
a meeting with the management soon.
Education Minister Vasant Purke said this
'donation' drive is illegal. "If the parents come to us, we will look
into the matter," he said.