Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Nov 3: Several top private schools of Baramulla in North Kashmir are allegedly seeking huge amounts of money as admission fee from the students despite clear directions from the Government against such practice.
Scores of parents told Excelsior that the schools are forcing them to deposit admission fee for the selected candidates and threatening cancellation of admissions. “The school administration has clearly asked me to either deposit Rs 50,000 as an admission fee or it will cancel the admission,” a parent said.
He maintained his two children have been selected for the nursery class at St. Joseph School of Bramaulla and the school administration was compelling him to deposit an amount of Rs 1 lakh as an admission fee.
The parents charged that some prestigious schools of Baramulla including St. Joseph, Delhi Public School, Baramulla Public School and Afreen School of Excellence are seeking admission fees ranging from Rs 35, 000 to Rs 75, 000 from the parents. “Some parents have already deposited the fee and schools have even persuaded them not to make the details of the admission public”, they said.
Excelsior has also learned that sometimes the parents are not being given proper receipts of the money that they deposit. “They give no proper receipts at the fee counter. The whole thing is being done with utmost secrecy,” another parent said.
Parents said only the renowned schools of the district are violating the orders while others properly follow it, only top schools are violating the orders. “Why is not Government acting against them? They should be rigorously dealt with,” a parent said, including that the Government should issue a number on which the parents can report such violations.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Government had warned of stern action if any school resorts to violation of the order issued by the department on the capitation fee. The Government had also ordered the schools to refund such amount if collected after October 31, 2019.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Mohammad Ahsan Mir, told Excelsior that the parents should take a lead and report such cases. “Such violations must be brought into the notice of the concerned officials for action,” he said, adding that they would take stern action against the violators.
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