January 31, 2010

Note from the HSPA President's desk

Most of you would be aware that HSPA has worked relentlessly with various Government Authorities, District Fee Regulatory Committee, Schools Parent Associations in Hyderabad to curb the “assumed practice of fee hike year-on-year”. While we have reached to a point that we are treated as a significant party in any such discussions by Government, Regulators, Legal System as well as Media; one of the suggestion that’s coming out very strongly across during our consultations with various advisors in the society that HSPA should take the lead, hire a senior counsel to file & front end a case in HC of AP on the fee regulation and to protect the GO MS 91 on behalf of lacs of parents in AP and it should not be left to individual school parents / parent associations to deal with big muscles of school management.

In order to make a significant towards that, we require various Parent Associations to come forward and support by:
  • Suggest some leading senior counsel(s) who can fight for this cause with strong conviction.
  • Suggest some leading senior counsel(s) who can fight for this cause with strong conviction, for almost free ??
Based on our discussion with various advisors, the approximate fee for senior counsel to represent our case with sufficient seriousness & desired output would be around 5-6 lacs …. For this to happen, we require various Parent Associations to come forward and suggest ways on how this kind of fund can gathered to meet the requirements of legal proceedings with senior counsels payouts. What avenues do each one of you feel would be the fastest & easiest (million dollar question?)
  • Can we ask each of the school association to atleast fund Ten thousand each to HSPA?
  • Or can atleast 60- 70 plus active / committed members contribute 10K or more?
  • Or can atleast 100 plus active / committed members contribute 5K or more?
  • Try out a different route to get large funds from external sources – NGOs, corporate foundations or corporate/ social sectors?
Let each member of this group provide with the best option you feel would be practical & can be implemented. Maybe we should have individual opinions by Feb 3rd. Write to us @ parentshyderabad@yahoo.in

January 22, 2010

Way forward meeting on 24.01.2010 (Sunday)

Many members have been asking for a larger meeting for the last few weeks & it has been decided we would meet on this Sunday @ Jalagam Vengal Rao Park, Road No1, Banjara Hills @ 09.00AM to 11.00AM.

Request members from both Hyderabad & Secunderabad to attend & discuss on the few challenges that we're still facing & also chalk out program as to how we can help school in various developmental activities, as Parents. After all we as Parents are dutied to share our best knowledge to our next generation & not just crib on few things.

Lets use the available time in the most constructive discussions & would suggest each one of us come, bring few more parents along & take our unity forward. Lets show that we don't just keep demanding our schools for more but areready to give our helping hand for mutual benefit & development.

January 21, 2010

Don''t mistreat any student: CBSE to schools

New Delhi, Jan 21 (PTI) Taking note of several incidents of harassment of students by teachers across the country, the Central Board of Secondary Education has advised all its affiliated schools not to mistreat any child or parent in the name of enforcing discipline. "No school under the guise of enforcing discipline should mistreat any student or parent thereof.


This must be strictly observed and enforced notwithstanding any external pressure whatsoever," CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi has said in an advisory to the schools. Observing that adolescents are vulnerable to many influences, the central education board has asked its over 10,000 affiliated schools to empower students to take informed decisions.

The advisory further states: "The schools need to be aware of the sensitive and impressionable nature of minds of school children and must ensure that all students, irrespective of their differences in physical, social, economic status or by their being differently abled are dealt with in a dignified manner." Noting that schools are ideological institutions and not factories, CBSE said children must be treated as "sensitive individuals" who need to be protected at any cost.

Several incidents of harassment of students by teachers had been reported in the country. In a recent case, Class XII student Himanshi Chaudhary committed suicide here after allegedly being humiliated by her teacher.

Private schools served notice over fee hike in Hyderabad


January 19, 2010

DFRC to act tough against schools


Saakshi | 19.01.2010 | Hyderabad district Edition


Eenadu | 19.01.2010 | Hyderabad district Edition

English translation
District Fee Regulatory Committee (DFRC) issues notice to schools regarding fee hike

  • On parents complaints, notice has been issued to Glendale, Niraj, Meridian, Princess Esin, Mukharam Jahi and other schools. These schools need to respond within one week with explanation and audit reports
  • School Education Department has issued notice to about 1500 schools to respond within one months time and submit details with complete audit report
  • Schools should abide by GO MS-91 and collect fee as per 2008-09
  • Criminal case will be filed on the school who have ignored the GO and hiked fee by 40%

January 15, 2010

Kendriya Vidyalayas set weight limits on school bags | When do the leading schools follow this ?

NEW DELHI: Finally, students can hope to have some load taken off their backs. In a move could well set a trend, the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) has come up with a graded formula that prescribes weight limits on schoolbags of its students.

As per the new `loadshedding' policy laid down for the 981 Kendriya Vidyalayas across India, schoolbags for classes I and II should not weigh more than 2kg. For classes III and IV, the bag weight should be less than 3kg, and those studying in classes V to VIII shouldn't carry bags that are more than 4kg. The upper limit for senior classes — IX to XII — has been set at 6kg. More than a million children study in Kendriya Vidyalayas.

The formula was stated in a circular from the KVS headquarters to the principals. It called for a phased implementation of the guidelines, starting with the primary classes. 
 
The circular also called for `strict compliance' of the guidelines by principals. ``As per physiological prescription, a child should not carry more than a fifth of his body weight on his back to keep the spine and skeletal structure strong and upright,'' the circular explained.

The project was piloted by U N Singh, ex-joint commissioner (academic), KVS, who retired early this month. Singh told TOI, ``KVs would be the first schools in the country to reduce the burden of schoolbags. We are not stopping at that. The reform process includes a wide gamut of environmental awareness and promotion of ICT (information and communication technologies) in education.''

Singh said KVS is working on one-textbook, one-notebook concept for its students. He said kids have heavy bags as they carry, apart from textbooks on each subjects, an equal number of notebooks. ``In higher classes, students are made to carry reference books as well which increases the load to unbearable proportions. What we plan to do is to have all chapters of all subjects to be taught in a particular academic session put in a single textbook and have students carry just one notebook. Zonal offices of KVS would work on the books. There will be an environmental benefit of the move as well, as more books mean increased felling of trees for paper. Secondly, with increasing computerization in the KVs, most books would be available in electronic form. And the reference books are to be kept in the class library so that students need not even go to the main library.''

Other initiatives of KVS include not giving homework for more than two-three subjects on a particular day, discouraging teaching through textbooks and having lockers assigned to students for keeping their books in every class.

KVS officials said the weight limits were an interim measure — the goal was to eventually move to a system where no child carried a bag load of more than 1kg. ``It is a pure violation of a child's right to place a burden on his back disproportionate to his age and health. The school system can be charged with cruelty to the child,'' the circular stated.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kendriya-Vidyalayas-set-weight-limits-on-schoolbags/articleshow/5446807.cms
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOINEW/navigator.asp?Daily=TOIH&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI

January 13, 2010

Don't Care & Whoz Government attitude of a school




Niraj Public School justifies its stand

HYDERABAD: Management of the Niraj Public School on Monday sought to justify its stance in asking the litigant parents to remove their children from the school. Principal B. Jivitesh Reddy termed the protest by the parents’ association as ‘wanton harassment’ and said the association contained parents of only 120 of the total 1,260 children.

Citing the writ petitions filed by the association in the High Court, he said the High Court disposed of the petition in favour of the school, upon which the parents filed an appeal. “The management has had enough of this wanton harassment and decided not to admit the students of the Parents’ Association in the ensuing academic year in June 2010,” Mr. Reddy said, adding that the parents were given enough time to ensure future education of their wards elsewhere.

‘Cancel recognition’
The Andhra Pradesh Teachers’ Federation has demanded the withdrawal of recognition of Niraj Public School and other private schools, which had submitted notices to parents who have refused to pay the hiked fees.

Niraj Public School had served a notice to parents of students who had raised their voice against the 40 per cent fee hike in the last academic year.

Pointing out that this was a violation of the child’s fundamental right to education, APTF has asked for a case to be registered against the schools ‘suo moto’ and their properties confiscated.

Further, APTF has blamed the Department of School Education officials and other public representatives for the private schools’ “irresponsible behaviour”. “The school managements feel they are free to do what they want due to their relationships with Ministers and other public officials,” the note said. APTF further said public representatives should be prevented from visiting schools.

APTF has asked the government to initiate criminal proceedings against schools, which have not submitted their proposals for fee hike to the Education Department. They asked the Collector on the action, which would be taken against the schools.

Articles on HSPAs activity in yetserdays print media












January 11, 2010

HSPA meets with Hyderabad District Collector

Showing complete disregard to the GO MS-91many of the schools have already announced hike of fee for the next academic year 2010-11. Citing this, HSPA members today visited the Hyderabad District Collector Mr Navin Mittal to express HSPA member school associations’ unhappiness about inaction from the governments side. Incidentally the District Education Officer Ms Victoria Devkumari was also present.


HSPA Core and several Member School Associations submitted representations seeking immediate action on schools not abiding by the GO MS-91. Mr Navin Mittal categorically mentioned that all schools in AP, irrespective of curriculum/ board followed (SSC, CBSE, ICSE, IB or others), have to abide by the GO and collect fee as per 2008-09 fee structure only till the time they report the justification of fee hike to the DFRC (District Fee Regulatory Committee) and seek approval on their revised fee structure by sharing the income/expense details. He has assured parents that criminal actions will be initiated against these schools’ management who continue to misguide/ harass the parents and also assured that these schools will need to refund the excess amount collected from the 2008-09 fee levels until approval on fee hike is secured from DFRC.


“There is no question of fee hike for the next academic year as of now” assured Mr Navin Mittal. He has sought 2 weeks time from HSPA for a review of the situation and during this time Ms Victoria Devkumari will personally engage with such schools strictly on behalf of Mr Navin Mittal and issue written notices warning perennial consequences, if need be.

HSPA members would meet the DEO once again shortly to get an update on the action taken by her and with Navin Mittal on Jan 25th on the steps taken by all the concerned authorities.

Parents show your support & solidarity for the societal cause we've taken up in huge numbers & together we can move mountains ... we're not alone.

Schools are "House Full "



Hyderabad school shocks Parents !!!



City school gives parents a TC shock

HYDERABAD: Parents protesting Niraj Public School’s unreasonable fee hike were in for a rude shock on Saturday. These parents received letters from the school management stating that their wards would not be admitted to the school for the next academic year, commencing from June 2010, unless they pay “the tuition fees and charges to the school which are overdue, latest by January 13.” The management has directed parents to collect the transfer certificates of their children by March 31.

The letter, sent to nearly 60 parents who are also members of the Niraj Public School Parents’ Association, further states that this decision of the school management follows the parents’ move to defame the school and the principal by filing false cases and citing baseless allegations. “...you have falsely petitioned to the government school department that your children were not permitted to attend the term examination which was also found to be false...”, reads the letter, which also accuses these parents of “bringing outsiders and creating an unhealthy atmosphere in the school.”

Reacting strongly, a parent asked: “How can the management dismiss the GO issued in August, which clearly directed schools to collect fee as per the 2008-09 structure?”

Officials of the school, however, termed this move as “completely justified”. “These people have lost the case in the High Court, which they had framed against the management and myself, but are still refusing to pay the fee. How can we continue to keep their children in the school under such circumstances” said Jivitheesh Reddy, principal.
 

Protests against fee hike intensify

MUMBAI: The parents' protests, against the state's controversial Bansal-committee report on school fee regulation have escalated over the last one month. On Sunday, over 600 parents from across Maharashtra gathered in Panvel to protest against the fee hike imposed by some school managements. A number of schools in Navi Mumbai have hiked their fee by up to 70%.


In Sunday's protests, parents called for immediate government regulation of private school fee. In May 2009, after widespread protests over school fee hikes, the state government promised to set up a fee regulatory body for private unaided schools, along the lines of the Shikshan Shulka Samiti for higher education. But a draft report released by the committee was, according to parents, biased in favour of school managements. TOI was the first to publish the contents of the report on October 6.

While the high court initially stalled all school fee hikes across the state after the Maharashtra government promised to come out with guidelines on school fee regulation, the court later lifted the stay as a temporary measure till the government came out with its guidelines.

Incidentally, the composition of the government's committee to look into fee hikes has been the bone of contention for long. The majority of panel members were either management representatives or education department officials. There were very few parent representatives on the committee.

"Our protest is targeted at the government. It's because they have failed to come out with guidelines on school fee regulation that managements are hiking their fee indiscriminately. A recent Supreme Court order allows state governments to regulate school fees,'' said Jayant Jain, president of the Forum For Fairness in Education.

According to Jain, after the high court lifted the stay order on school fee hikes, schools began using it as an excuse to hike fee. "Many schools are charging fee under several headings such as building fee and activity fee. This is illegal as it violates the Maharashtra capitation fee act,'' he added.

January 08, 2010

Its now happening in Mumbai !

Parents step up fee hike protests Buzz Up Share
Mumbai, Jan. 7 -- Parents' organisations in the city have stepped up their protest against fee hikes in private, unaided schools and have once again called for scrapping the Bansal Committee report, which allows schools to hike their fees to make a reasonable surplus.
The 21-member committee, headed by former education secretary Kumud Bansal, submitted its report recommending fee hikes in private, unaided schools in October. The only three parent members on the committee protested, saying it was biased in favour of school managements.
The Maharashtra government is yet to decide whether it will accept the report or not. More than 20 organisations comprising parents and activists met on Sunday to decide on the further course of action.
"No parents should pay any increased fees till the government takes a decision," said Jayant Jain, President of the All India Federation of Parent-Teacher Associations. Further, the Federation and the Forum for Fairness in Education are planning to submit an "alternative report" to the state government on fee fixing in private, unaided schools.
Going to court will be the last resort, said Jain.

January 07, 2010

New rule allows a fee hike for 80% schoolsJanuary 8th, 2010


Hyderabad, Jan. 7: The recent orders of the state government to exempt private schools, which collect a fee of up to Rs 12,000 per annum, from the ambit of fee regulation, has evoked sharp criticism from parents.


They said the government has committed a grave blunder, as about 80 per cent of private schools collect less than Rs 10,000 per annum and the exemption will give these schools a free hand to raise the fee to Rs 12,000 without hesitation.

Several parents’ associations have decided to challenge the government orders in the AP High Court. Parents expressed fear that they will not be in a position to question schools’ managements that resort to an indiscriminate fee hike from the ensuing academic year, as the government itself has issued orders enabling them to charge up to Rs 12,000 without intimating the school department officials.

They alleged that the government in its bid to regulate just 10 per cent of big schools, which collect a huge fee, has allowed the remaining 90 per cent of schools to fleece parents; a majority of them from middle and low income groups.

“How can the government justify a fee of Rs 12,000 per annum for school students when it has fixed just Rs 10,500 per annum for engineering courses in colleges? It’s ridiculous on the part of government to take such hasty decisions without considering the ground realities,” said Mr D. Chandra Shekar Rao, a parent.

In August, 2009, the government had issued orders on fee regulation in all private schools under pressure from parents and students who took to the streets protesting the steep fee hike put in effect by various schools. The government made it mandatory for all schools to submit their income and expenditure details to district fee regulatory committees (DFRCs) and fix the fee accordingly. The schools had to seek the approval of the DFRCs before effecting a hike. However, the government failed to set up DFRCs in all districts as officials ex-pressed an inability to verify the accounts of every private school in the state, which amount to over 50,000, citing shortage of staff.

To fix this, the government issued fresh orders on January 5, exempting those schools, which charge less than Rs 12,000 per annum, from fee regulation, ignoring the fact that about 80 per cent of schools charge less than that amount.

January 06, 2010

Update to members

1. Offlate school has starting SMSing parents & please be noted that SMSs from TM-DPSSEBAD are from management & the association uses TM-DPaS. Good to see school adopting the easiest & fastest way to communicate to parents & we look forward for school in adopting this tool for many more communications to parents.

2. On the 3rd term fee, many parents are objecting to the payment of additional amount paid in 1st term, not getting adjusted now. Please be informed from DPaS we've communicated to school that we need to get the additional amount paid versus last year fee in this academic year for children leaving the school & in the next fee due for children continuing. The fact being the school again & again confirmed that they're abiding by GO MS 91 - which says schools are to collect last academic year fee only. 

3. Just for calculation purpose most of us maybe amazed to know that the additional amount being collected would result in a corpus fund of Rs 80lacs upwards with the school management (considering most of us end up paying minimum of Rs 2000 & the students suming up to about 4000 in both the schools)

January 03, 2010

3rd Term Fee

School re-opens tomorrow, as scheduled & as per the SMS sent by school a while ago.


DPaS requests all parents to pay up the fee as per the challans issued (by 6th January, 2010). We've sent a communication to school for adjustment of additional fee paid in the 1st term for the children continuing & refund for those moving out.

January 02, 2010

Whats happening to GO MS91 & DFRC ?

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/hyderabad/fee-regulation-only-big-city-schools-544

Today's Times of India (article left) & Deccan Chronicle carried articles on Government deciding to remove schools charging upto Rs 12,000 from DFRC mandate.

This can be viewed in two ways
- good for those schools charging little over to bring down to that level or
- schools charging less now have free hand to hike up, without any hesitation ?

We only look forward for government now to make sure & ensure DFRC controls the fee that many schools have already hiked up for next year, without even bothering about GO MS 91, as if it never existed & they never knew it ???

January 01, 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Let this new year bring in

- tons of wisdom to the law makers & make our country a place for the next generation to get trouble free education of their choice
- billions of respects & wishes to the school managements who would move away from making schools from money minting campuses to quality & over all education to the next generation, which we all owe & true to their trust status
- millions of parents wishes comes true to make children educate in all aspects of life