Chennai:
Parents of nearly 600 students in Chennai say they have been left in the lurch as the popular A School Group is shutting 15 of its primary schools. The group blames the state government's new fee structure regulation act for the move and says it can run schools only till kinder garten classes from the next academic year.
The decision means parents of these students will now have to hunt for new schools for their children in the middle of the academic year.
At Washermanpet, A R Shadiq is a worried man. The fruit exporter's daughter Afifa is studying in Class III at A School's Washermenpet campus. "No one gives admission in fourth standard. In most good school, they normally admit students in kinder garten class," he told NDTV.
Outside the school, scores of parents gather every day to share their difficulties. They say the group had promised to open four more schools so their children could have seamless education till Class XII. Many even allege the school has not conveyed anything to them in writing yet.
"They promised they will open school till Class XII. Now they say they have fund problems," says Ms Shobha, a parent. Ms Vandhana, another parent, adds, "We are not getting admission in any other CBSE school".
According to the Tamil Nadu government's revised fee regulation act, primary schools can now charge a maximum of Rs 15,000 per a year from students on the basis of their infrastructure and other amenities. The act also bans donation, a practice prevalent in many schools.
As a result, the Chettinad Foundation-run school claims it is no longer viable for it to teach higher classes.
In an e-mail to NDTV, the management said it has asked several schools to accommodate its students but refused to disclose names as of now. "We have spoken with several schools to accommodate our primary students and they are yet to confirm. We will intensify our efforts," the e-mail read.
Parents insist they want they transfer to be smooth. "We want our children to get admission in a school as good as Chettinad," Ms Rakhi, a worried mother, said. Echoing her sentiment, another parent, Ms Shaan, added, "We want our children to go to a good school, not to any institution that has no repute".
The Tamil Nadu government's crackdown on private schools came as a huge relief for parents. But now with many schools saying the government's prescribed fee is not viable, it seems it is the students who are facing the heat for now.