Toll free complaint cells, set up by district magistrate on the premises of food and civil supply office, received around 20 complaints against public schools on Thursday. The cell received these many complaints at toll free number -18002582581 on the very first day.
DM BVRC Purushottam has set up the toll free number complaint cell in order to register public complaints about admission fee hike, withholding transfer certificate, not enrolling children belonging to weaker section of society under Right to Education Act and others against public schools in the district.
Purushottam said, " We started the cell in order to extend help to the parents by registering their complaints related to fee hike and other issues in schools. The grievances of the complainers would be redressed on priority basis."
DSO officials said that complaints have been received from 20 different government and public schools like Summer
Valley School, Dehradun; Delhi Public School, Dehradun; Kendriya Vidyalaya, St Kabeer Academy Dehradun; St Jude’s School, Majara; Sherwood School, Haridwar Road; Doon Blossom School, Dalanwala, Heritage School, MKP Road, Government Inter College, Thati, Jaunpur and others.
Most of the complainants did not disclose their name. In some complaints, it was alleged that the schools were not refunding the deposited money in case parents failed to reach the schools to get enrolled their child.
Complainants also alleged that schools also advised the parents to purchase books from a particular shop, charging fee without giving receipt, picnic fee, enforcing the students to opt commerce in place of science, failing the students who are studying from Class I-VIII in the annual examination and others.
A complainant said that he had recently approached the public school nearby his residence for enrollment of his daughter in nursery. He was charged Rs 27, 000 for admission and school authorities asked him to pay tuition fee of around Rs 1,600 per month.
Mukesh, student of GIC, Thati Jaunpur said that most of the teachers reach the school very late and education department has not deputed mathematics teacher in his school.
A caller said that he had deposited Rs 5, 000 in Delhi Public School, Dehradun along with the admission form, but due to some problems, he could not enroll his child on due time, now, school is not returning deposited money.
An anonymous caller said that Doon Blossom School, Dalanwala has charged Rs 5500 for Class XI-XII students, Rs 3700 for class IX-X and Rs 3100 for class I-VIII respectively without giving receipts.