12-Year-Old Shunted Out Of Class During Exam For Not Paying Fees

Hyderabad: A class 6 student at a private school in Hyderabad was made to stand outside classroom while all other students appeared for an exam allegedly because his parents failed to pay school fees on time.

The 12-year-old, who studies in Gautam Model School in city's Trimulgherry area, was reportedly shunted out of the classroom yesterday when his parents failed to pay balance fee amount of Rs 6,000 of the total Rs 30,000.

"They called my mother for the fees, she didn't answer, so they made me stand here,'' said the student, who stood outside classroom while all his friends wrote their annual exam paper inside.

The school principal said the parents had failed to respond to phone calls in the last two days.

"It is our duty to ask and collect the fees. We had intimated in advance at the beginning of the year that you must pay Rs 30,000 rupees. They paid Rs 23,000 rupees but in last two days, his mother was too busy to answer,'' she said, adding that the salary of teachers and other running expenses of the school are run by school fees fund.

The boy's mother told NDTV: "I felt extremely bad that they stopped my child. I feel bad that my child was humiliated in front of all his classmates and friends. That is why I came here.''

"My son has been studying in the same school for the last six years and we have never been late in paying the fees," she added.

However, after a showdown, the child was allowed to write his exam, after all the other children had written their exam and left.

Child right activist Isidore Philips said that the school authorities need to show more sensitivity in dealing with children as it has a definite psychological impact on them.

In October last year, a 15-year-old boy in Telangana had committed suicide after he was allegedly punished in school for not paying fees. The boy also left behind a chilling video message where he detailed the 'humiliation' he faced. His body was later found on a railway track.