GLORIA CONVENT HIGH SCHOOL: Inquiry against Byculla school for asking students to pay for land

 Inquiry against Byculla school for asking students to pay for land

Mumbai Mirror | Jan 14, 2014, 07.04 AM IST

Arita Sarkar
Two days after this newspaper reported that Byculla-based Gloria Convent High School has been demanding Rs 10,000 per student to buy a plot of land, the Education Department has initiated an inquiry.
N B Chavan, deputy director (Education), said: "The parents don't have to pay, and if they already have, the school will have to return the money. Action against the school will be based on the inquiry report."
The parents had submitted a complaint on Friday, alleging the school was pressurising the students into paying up, even as the school management that such a 'request' had been made to 'save' the school.
Gloria Convent is an unaided minority school, and one among more than 450 properties in the city to have been constructed on government land on a 99-year lease which expired in 2012.
The school received a notice from the Collector's office in July 2013, notifying about the expiration of the lease agreement. The school was given a couple of options: buy the land parcel for Rs 2 crore or pay the rent of Rs 4 lakh a year for a five-year period.
The school, which has around 1,900 students on the roll call, decided to buy out the plot. The parents said the Education Department's move was most welcome. "I hope appropriate action will be taken," the parent said.

GLORIA CONVENT HIGH SCHOOL, BYCULLA: ATTENTION PARENTS, IT'S NOT COMPULSORY TO PAY Rs. 10,000/-

 

SCHOOL DEMANDS Rs 10,000 PER STUDENT TO BUY PLOT IT STANDS ON

Mumbai Mirror | Jan 11, 2014, 06.26 AM IST

Arita Sarkar
Land is up for sale for Rs 2 crore or Rs 4 lakh rent for five years; but school aims to raise Rs 1.9 crore.
Several parents have alleged that the Gloria Convent High School in Byculla have been demanding Rs 10,000 per student to buy land, and have 'indirectly threatened' the students if they failed to pay up before the end of the month.
The parents on Friday submitted a complaint to the Education Department as well as the Child Rights Commission, even as the school management admitted that a payment 'request' had been made to 'save' the school.
Gloria Convent is an aided minority school, and one among more than 450 properties in the city to have been constructed on government land on a 99-year lease which expired in 2012.
The school received a notice from the Collector's office in July 2013, notifying about the expiration of the lease agreement. The school was given a couple of options: buy the land parcel for Rs 2 crore or pay the rent of Rs 4 lakh for a five-year period. The school, which has around 1,900 students on the roll call, decided to buy out the plot and held a meeting with the parents on December 16 last year, asking of Rs 10,000 from each of them.
"They never gave us anything in writing but asked us to pay up. We demanded that they show us the property papers but were asked to refer to the media reports. It is very difficult for me to pay such a large sum at one go," said a woman whose daughter studies in the eighth standard.
The parents also said that the school management never considered the option of paying the rent until they could figure out their finances. "Two crores is such an exorbitant amount. The management is not even considering the option of rent despite protests by most of us," said a parent, while another alleged that the students were being "indirectly compelled" to pay up.
"The students, especially in the 10th standard, are scared that they won't get their leaving certificates if they don't pay up. Even their farewell party has been cancelled for this reason," said one of the parents.
The school's version
The school said that it had no other way to save the institute. "We never ask students to make any other payment. Unlike other private schools, being an aided minority school, we are not able to generate enough funds from the fees, and have no other way of generating money for the plot. We had requested parents to help us in this crisis," said Sister Mary Flower, the principal. According to the school, about 60 per cent of the parents have already submitted their cheques.
The principal said the allegation that the parents were being forced to pay by the end of this month was just not true. "One of the parents approached me saying she wouldn't be able to pay such a large sum. I assured her that she could make the payment whenever she could arrange for it. We never made it compulsory... they can take their time and make the payment when they are able to," Sister Flower said.
The Child Right's Commission said it has taken cognizance of the complaint and will be sending notices to the school, while the deputy director of education, N B Chavan termed the demand as illegal.
"The government is already providing financial help to the school. It is illegal to ask parents to pay for the school plot," Chavan said.
However, a member of the Parents-Teachers Association, Salim Shaikh, said the school had "genuine reasons" to ask for money. "After meeting with the parents, we, as the PTA, had offered our help. While some parents have paid more than the amount asked for, others are in the process of paying," Shaikh said. 

GLORIA CONVENT HIGH SCHOOL, BYCULLA : EXTORTION UNDERWORLD STYLE BY CONVENT SCHOOL OF MUMBAI

The Underworld Extortion is passe! Welcome to the “Open Extortion by Convent School”! The indirect threat to Students by the School Authorities is: If your parents don’t pay Rs. 10,000/- by 10^th January 2014, you will not be allowed to enter your classrooms!

Students of SSC (X^th class) are worried and under stress that by not paying Rs 10,000/- they would not get their School Leaving Certificates on passing their examination.

So one wonders, how can a Convent School extort money so openly with threats to students & their parents? And one wonders, why the parents should pay the money to buy a Government owned land LEASED to Gloria Convent High School, Byculla for 99 years, on which the school was built? Will the parents of the 1900 students own the land after they pay Rs.10,000/- totalling to 1.90 Crores?

On 16^th December 2013, parents were called in for a meeting and they were issued the “threat” in the form of One-Sided Decision of the School Management of Gloria Convent High School, Byculla, Mumbai. The parents are furious by the one sided adamant decision of the school management that each student’s parents has to shell out Rs. 10,000/- for buying the land on which the school building stands. The reason, government land lease of 99 years has expired sometime in 2012.

Parents were not aware about the land lease till it was announced on the 16^th of December 2013 by a school supervisor and a PTA member at a parents’ gathering. When parents requested to see the government order on the matter, it was refused and advised to refer media report. As per the management, the option given by the government is that either buy the land at the cost of Rs. 2 Crore or pay rent of Rs. 4 Lakh for a block of 5 years. Management is forcing 1900 students’ parents to shell out Rs. 10,000/- by 10^th of January 2014, so as to buy the land, but is not considering the other option of paying the rent, which the school management can very well afford to pay on their own. The reasoning stated is that the property cost is increasing by each passing day / year, hence the School Management Board wants to buy and own. The management is not giving any thoughts to pay government Rs. 4 Lakh for 5 years’ rent, even after a strong protest by all the parents.

When the lease of the land was on the verge of expiry by 2012, why the School Management didn’t take any concrete steps to save themselves? Not a single proactive measures were taken and they sat on the case till they are in neck deep in their self-created trouble. Even after receipt of government’s notice, the parents were not informed about the backdoor developments taking place and out of a sudden, the easiest method the School Management found was to issue threat to students’ parents and extort Rs. 10,000/- each and give them no choice. The idiotic example given at the meeting is that “if a patient is taken suddenly ill and is in ICU”, what would they do? Parents are not ready to believe this argument and are not willing to buy the land and opined that why should they pay from their pockets and make the School Management to own the land? Why should the future generations of students and their parents be at the mercy of such an extortionist?

The School is already charging the SSC students Rs. 1,500/- as examination fees instead of Rs 500/-. Even as per the norms, a receipt should be issued of the amount received but the students are given no receipt because of this corrupt practice. Is this how the Convent Educational Institute is imparting knowledge and teaching their students of Modern Day Extortion and Corrupt Practice?

Who will reign such Reputed Extortionists of the Society? Who is the brainchild behind such Open Extortion by Gloria Convent High School, Byculla, Mumbai? Will the State Government, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and the Education Minister of the Country take some immediate steps to STOP such EXTORTION by the School Management?

THE BLOG EFFECT:

MUMBAI MIRROR: 11th January 2014

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/others/School-demands-Rs-10000-per-student-to-buy-plot-it-stands-on/articleshow/28661416.cms