Online classes: Plaints pour in against school managements

Like the previous academic year, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has been flooded with complaints from parents about school managements blocking online classes o

Like the previous academic year, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has been flooded with complaints from parents about school managements blocking online classes of those who have not paid fees for the current year. The commission received complaints against 20 managements over the past two weeks. One of the parents said: “The school management has said that we should pay one quarter of the fees at the beginning of the academic year, and only then our child will be allowed to attend online classes. We want schools to allow us to pay monthly fees as our income has reduced during the second lockdown.” Fr. Antony Sebastian, chairperson of the commission, said they had directed officials of the Department of Public Instruction to attend to all the cases and submit a report to the commission. “After the intervention of the commission, department officials held talks with the managements and assured us that schools have agreed to unblock online classes,” he said.