The Unforgivable Mafia-Esque Behaviour Of A Delhi School

A school in Central Delhi confined little girls from their nursery class in the basement of the school for five hours, over an issue of delayed payment of the school fee. As per a report in The Hindu, the police received a call on Monday from agitated parents, claiming that some 16 little girls were locked in the school’s basement by the management. The girls were rescued by their distraught parents who then proceeded to pursue the matter legally. They alleged that the school authorities forced the girls to sit on the floor in hot and humid conditions. The Delhi Police has registered a case of illegal confinement and cruelty to child against school’s management.

Imagine the horror of the parents, to find that their tiny tots are being held hostage at a school! At worst, this is kidnapping! A mafia-like behaviour from an educational institute, to extort fees cannot be justified.

Amidst the hostile environment which grips our country, it is a tumultuous task for every parent to merely dispatch their children to school.

Schools are supposed to be safe havens for kids. In fact, schools these days are taking extra measures to ensure that students have a safe and amiable learning environment.

UNRULY SCHOOL MANAGEMENT

• A school in central Delhi, allegedly confined 16 nursery class girls to basement over the issue of delayed payment of fees.
• Under the current environment, can parents not even trust schools with well-being of their kids?
• This is as serious an offence as kidnapping. Is it school management or mafia?
• The school should face the consequence, to make sure other institutes know that there is a certain line they cannot cross.

One can only imagine the terror these parents on discovering that the very institute they trusted to take care of their children is holding them as hostages. And for what? Something as trivial as delayed payment of school fee. The school could have sorted this issue without putting little kids through such a trauma.

These little girls are not even old enough to go to the bathroom unaccompanied. They were allegedly isolated and confined, away from their parents in a hot and humid basement, without any ventilation.

The police and law, however, shouldn’t show any leniency towards the management and principal of this school. Did they forget that they were running an educational institute and not an extortion racket? How shall these people sleep at night, knowing that they jeopardised the well-being of little girls and ignored their cries?

Just as the education boards have guidelines for the curriculum, they should have guidelines for management and staff’s conduct. A non-payment of school fee can be a big issue, but it is immoral to make young children suffer for their parent’s irresponsible behaviour.

Take legal action against them or warn them of cancelling their child’s admission. But holding children hostage is not a solution. What kind of education and virtues can we expect such institutes to pass on to their students if they resort to goon-like behaviour for such trivial issues? If parents manage to prove these charges, then the board of education should shut down the school and the management and principal should face legal consequences. This incident should serve as an example for schools who think they can get away with unruly behaviour. They may be in charge of disciplining the students, but if they cross the line themselves, it wouldn’t go unforgivable.

Pic Credit: thenewsminute.com

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Yamini Pustake Bhalerao is a writer with the SheThePeople team, in the Opinions section.  The views expressed are the author’s own.