Mumbai: School withholds SSC mark sheet, certificates over non-payment of fees

Madhyamik School at Kannamwar Nagar in Vikhroli, which is run by Manohar Kotwal Trust

A 17-year-old, who cleared the SSC board examination in 2021, is not able to pursue higher education or get a job as her school has withheld her mark sheet and passing and leaving certificates for not paying fees amounting to Rs 30,000.

The trustee of Madhyamik School in Kannamwar Nagar, Vikhroli - run by Manohar Kotwal Trust - has claimed the school is totally dependent on fees and that the complainant had not approached them for two years.

After running from pillar to post to obtain the required documents, the student, Kashish Lakdawala, and her mother, Deepali, decided to file a complaint against the school and approached social worker Dheeraj Kamble for help.

Kashish said, "Due to the financial crisis, my fees were pending, and the situation worsened as the pandemic hit. My parents didn't have a job. In 2021, my mother suffered a stroke, which caused paralysis, and she was on bed rest. As she recovered, I lost my father last year. It's been a very tough time. We requested the school to give me my marksheet so I can take up a part-time job and also apply for admission to junior college, but in vain."

Kashish along with Nitin Dalvi of the Maharashtra State Student Parent Teacher Federation filed a complaint with the education inspector of the north zone and the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights on Thursday. "In April this year, I was left with no option and did not know what to do. So, we went to the local corporator and the trustee agreed to give us photocopies of the marksheet and leaving certificate. However, we couldn't get admissions on the basis of photocopies," said Deepali.

She added, "I managed to get a job in a local cake shop near our residence. With this, I managed to earn some money."

Sarita Kanvinde, the trustee of the school, said, "The girl had not come to us for two years. She was not the only one whose mark sheet was withheld. Others came, paid part of their fees and we gave them their mark sheets. There were students who requested that they pay R1,000. We still gave them their mark sheets and leaving certificates. We waived the fees of those who had financial issues. Her mother did approach us in April through the local corporator. We issued photocopies of the documents. I told them to inform us once she seeks admission but she didn't call back. The address they have given us is different [from her actual one], hence we could not contact the girl."

According to Kanvinde, the school has its limitations. "We are a fully unaided school and do not get any grant from the government. We rely fully on the fees that we collect from students. If we do not get fees, how will we pay teachers and deal with expenditures?

This is not the first time that the school has punished students over non-payment of fees. The school was in the news seven years ago for making students sit on the floor over the non-payment of fees. In January this year, many students from Std V to Std X at the school were barred from taking internal exams. This led to chaos on the campus after parents arrived and argued with the school staff. A video of the confrontation went viral. The exam was cancelled later.

Dalvi alleged that the arbitrariness of private schools is increasing due to the fact that education department officials are supporting the school administration by not acting against them despite complaints. "Concrete action should be taken against such schools. This is the third such incident that came to light this year. In July this year, a similar incident was reported where a Std X student was denied her SSC mark sheet by her school in Bhandup in 2021. There has been no action yet," Dalvi said.

"The education department should develop a system to ensure that passed students get results, hall tickets and school leaving certificates, and also investigate how many schools in Maharashtra are still doing this," Dalvi demanded.

Rs 30k
Amount in pending fees