No more aided edu, pay fees for CBSE, Vepery school tells parents

CHENNAI: An aided higher secondary school for girls in Vepery is refusing to admit students in aided sections, specifically between classes 1 and 5, and forcing parents to enrol their kids in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus, termed as self-finance (SF).

As per a letter released by the parent of a student in middle school, it had claimed that the school HM and assistant HM (in charge) had been refusing to give admissions to new students from classes 1-5 in the girls’ government aided school.

“Parents are forced to get their kids enrolled in CBSE syllabus, which has higher fees than the aided section. Government-aided students are being given (TC) without any reason, claiming that it’s being closed,” the letter stated.

The letter also stressed that the education of poor students is in jeopardy, and that the school management was being rude to parents who opposed this move, or worse completely ignored, said parents. Following complaints from 150 parents on this and other concerns, an investigation was done by the District Education Officer (DEO) in January.

The major demand of parents, whose children are already enrolled in the school and those enrolled anew, is not to close the aided section of the school.

Speaking to DT Next, a mother of a Class 11 student said, “Just a week before the Class 10 board exam in 2024, my daughter and other students were called by the school head to inform them that they cannot continue here in Class 11, as the Telugu medium was shut down. So, those students in Telugu medium were forced to join a government girls’ higher secondary school in Rotler street.”

But, the mother refused to admit her daughter to another school. Instead she petitioned the city’s Chief Education Officer (CEO), the education department director, district Collector and other officials. “Only after that was I able to admit my daughter in the same school. But, I was refused admission in the school for my second daughter three years back for the reason that the Telugu medium is being closed,” she stated.

Meanwhile, a parent who got his daughter enrolled in the school claimed that they had enrolled their daughter in the SF section of the school with Rs 20,000 as fees. “I was not even provided with a proper bill for the fees paid, until I insisted on one. Also, I was not given the option to enrol my daughter in the aided section,” added the parent.

Commenting on this issue was a higher official in the education department, who said that the school had submitted a proposal to adopt CBSE syllabus. “But we’ll conduct an inquiry into this issue,” he added. “After parents’ agitation, we had conducted an inquiry and informed the school to not enrol students in SF and to continue with admission in the aided section.”

However, the school management did not respond when contacted.