New Delhi: Just a day before the CBSE board examinations, tensions escalated outside APJ School in Saket, where several parents staged a protest after the school allegedly withheld admit cards of three students. The demonstration continued until late evening, as anxious parents demanded the immediate release of the admit cards, calling the situation “mental harassment” for students appearing in crucial board exams.
According to parents, the school refused to issue admit cards for two Class 10 students and one Class 12 student, allegedly due to pending fee-related disputes. Parents accused the school management of pressuring them to pay what they described as “arbitrary fees” and using admit cards as leverage.
Parents Call It Harassment of Students
Parents said the incident caused severe stress for the students, especially since the Class 10 examination was scheduled the very next day. Harish Chaudhary, father of a Class 10 student, expressed his concern and said his daughter’s Mathematics exam was on February 17, but her admit card was not issued until late evening.
“This entire day was extremely stressful. Imagine the anxiety of a child who has her exam tomorrow but doesn’t have her admit card,” he said.
Parents Claim School Refused to Accept Fee Payment
Parents further alleged that they have been trying to submit the school fee since September, but the school has not been accepting their cheque payments. They claimed they even attempted to send the fee through the District Magistrate and the Education Department, but the school reportedly returned the cheque.
They also stated that despite directions from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the school did not respond positively.
Child Welfare Committee Declines Jurisdiction
Parents said they approached multiple authorities but received only assurances. The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) reportedly stated that the matter did not fall under its jurisdiction, leaving parents without immediate support.
School Cites Previous High Court Order
Meanwhile, the school reportedly referred to an earlier High Court order, stating that parents must clear pending dues before admit cards are issued. The school maintained that it was acting as per legal instructions.
Education Minister’s Intervention Brings Resolution
The issue was finally resolved late Monday night after parents met Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood. Following the meeting, the admit cards were released.
Speaking on the matter, Sood said that the dispute regarding school fees had been ongoing since 2020, involving certain families.
“This issue had been pending for the last five years. The previous government had enough time to resolve it. We called the school management, senior officials, and parents and ensured a solution,” Sood said.
He urged students to remain calm and focus only on their examinations without stress.
Relief for Students Before Exams
The release of the admit cards brought relief to students and parents, but the incident has once again raised concerns over the practice of withholding admit cards due to fee disputes, especially during board examination season.
Discover more from SD NEWS agency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.