Hyderabad: During the ongoing Summative Assessment-I exams, some private schools in Hyderabad are reportedly harassing students for not paying term fees on time. In some cases, students are not being allowed to write their exams because of unpaid fees.
The Telangana School Parents Association (TSPA) has raised concerns about such practices, stating that this problem occurs frequently during exam periods. According to them, school management often targets students instead of addressing fee issues directly with parents.
Parents and the TSPA believe that children should not be dragged into fee-related matters. These issues should be handled between the school management and parents. They also blame the Education Department for failing to regulate private schools, as both large and small-budget schools are involved in these practices.
One parent, Suraiya, shared her frustration. Her son, a class 8 student at Gowtham Model School in the RTC Crossroad branch, was not allowed to take his exam despite having permission to pay the fees by January. She said this caused her son a lot of stress, especially since the unpaid fees were publicly mentioned in a WhatsApp group.
Another parent, Robin, whose son is in class 10 at Sri Darasha School in Quthubullapur, faced a similar issue. His son was told he wouldn’t be allowed to write the exam if the term fees weren’t paid. Robin felt it was wrong for the teacher to communicate this directly to his child.
The situation is not limited to just these schools. Similar incidents have been reported at other private schools, including St Joseph School.
The TSPA emphasized that harassing students over unpaid fees violates norms. They said the responsibility of paying fees lies with parents, not children, and the school management should directly communicate with parents. Many parents have lodged complaints about their children being prevented from taking exams due to these issues. The association also pointed out that this has been an ongoing problem, with the Education Department failing to take control over private schools, leading to mental distress for students.
