Pune: In the first incident of its kind, a principal of a school lodged a police complaint against the school management. Bharati Kumbhar, Principal of Dnyan Prasarak Primary Vidya Mandir in Ambegaon lodged a police complaint against the school management and founders for relocating the students without the parents’ permission after it reopened post-summer vacation.
The school, which runs classes from Std I to VII, has a strength of around 350 students. “On the first day of the school on Friday, June 15, an hour after the parents left the children at the school, children were taken to another building nearby citing the reason that it has recognition issues. Apparently, the school building does not have the required permissions. However, the parents protested against it and refused to send their wards to the new building. Shockingly, the management then locked the students and parents out of the school for the whole day,” Kumbhar said.
Until the last year i.e 2017-18, the Marathi and semi-English medium classes of the school were held in the previous building. This year, the school has started English medium classes and because of which the previous students were being shifted to the new location.
Sarika Aganyan, Director of Divya Foundation, the NGO that the parents approached for help stated that the new building where the students were being taken is not at all suitable for running a school.
“The school stated that since 2009, they have received permission to run the school in the new building itself. However, the school wasn’t shifted there as there was some work going on at the new site. This year, the new admissions have been made at the new building itself, but the old students were taken there without the parents’ permission. The parents do not want the children to study in the new building as they feel it’s not safe. The washrooms for girls and boys are common. Also, there is a boys’ hostel on the floor above the school,” Aganyan said.
A parent whose two children are studying at the school, on condition of anonymity, said, “There is only one washroom for the 350 children, common for boys and girls at the new location. While the classes are to be held on the ground floor, there is a boys’ hostel on the floor above. How can the parents feel their children would be safe at the school? Also, there is no playground. If we knew that the school was going to be shifted, we wouldn’t even have taken admission. The management has deceived us. But we will not send our children to the new building.”
A meeting has been called by the school management with teachers, parents on Thursday, where the issue will be further discussed.
Cause of concern
Management shifted students to a new building without parents’ nod.
Parents feel the new building is not safe for students.
According to a parent, there is just one washroom that too common for 365 students and for boys and girls.
There is a boys’ hostel on the first floor of the building, said a parent.
