High-handed behaviour of school management must be stopped: HC

Observing that "high-handed" behaviour of school management needs to be stopped, the Bombay High Court today asked Maharashtra government if it has any mechanism or regulatory authority in place to look into and help resolve disputes between parents and school management.
A division bench of Justices V M Kanade and M S Sonak had last week taken cognisance of a letter written to the high court by the father of a 12-year-old boy against HVB Global Academy School in Marine Lines in south Mumbai.
According to Santosh Mehta, his son was expelled from the school as he had questioned and objected to paying Rs 50,000 in cash to the school for purchase of uniform and other stationery items.

"We want to know from the government if it has any regulatory authority or any mechanism to address such issues or resolve the dispute between parents and school management. There are several such cases coming before the high court these days," the HC said.
The HC also sought to know if its order in 2015 directing government to frame rules and regulations to address such issues was implemented.
The HC today noted that "high-handed" behaviour of school management needs to be stopped and posted the petition for hearing on July 14.

Mehta claimed in the letter that he had approached the school for admitting his son in class VII.

"The school initially quoted a fee of Rs 1,09,500 which I paid and have a receipt of. However, later the school demanded Rs 50,000 more in cash for uniform, school books, bags and other stationery items. When I objected to pay the extra sum, the school authorities started threatening me and my family," the letter alleged.
He further claimed that the school authorities fraudulently threatened his wife into signing a blank paper based on which the school issued a transfer certificate and expelled his son from the school.
"I approached the office of the Commissioner of Child Right Protection of Maharashtra and also the Deputy Director of Education. The Deputy Director of Education in February this year directed the school principal to reinstate my child. But when I sent my son to school, the security guards stopped him and refused to send him in," the letter alleged.