Chandigarh, April 7:City schools too have joined the league of restricting its stakeholders from interacting with the media. In a complaint submitted by the Chandigarh Parents’ Association (CPA) to the District Education Officer and the Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR) today, it has come to the fore that Mount Carmel School, Sector 47, has asked parents to sign an undertaking stating that they will not pass any information to the press/TV.The undertaking read, “The school encourages parents/students to report their problems and grievances to the school management so that the same can be looked into and handled appropriately. The school does not approve the practice of the parents/students indulging in any anti-school activity or involving any third party or giving information to press/TV, etc, in the matters concerning the school and students. In case, a parent/student indulges in such acts, the school shall be at liberty to take appropriate action, which may include striking off the name of the student from the school rolls.”
Not only this, the school has also threatened parents that any breach of the undertaking will amount to suspension of the child from the school. The clause is also a breach of the Right to Education (RTE) Act that prohibits suspension of a child up to completion of elementary education (Class VIII).“In the event of a breach of either, the school management is at liberty to suspend/cancel the admission of the child as the case may be,” it further read.
The undertaking is the part of the admission process for the session 2019-2020. The draconian move by the school has bothered city parents now. “The undertaking seeks to take away every parent’s right to report any wrong done by the school to any outside agency like the CCPCR, Education Department, courts and media,” expressed CPA in the complaint.
The association has sought immediate intervention from the CCPCR and the DEO against the school to withdraw the undertaking.
School Principal Earnest Charles J Samuel could not be contacted over phone.
Seeking ‘indemnity bonds’ from parents illegal
In 2017, the CCPCR directed the schools not to demand indemnity bonds or impose any conditions on any eligible child applying for admission to a school. The commission viewed the practice of indemnity bonds illegal and violation of child rights. “Execution of indemnity bonds by the parents on behalf of minor children has no legal binding and is unlawful,” observed the CCPCR while issuing an advisory.
with agency inputs
