Student Guardian Forum concerned about collection of huge amounts by private schools in the name of picnic and tours

Student Guardian Forum has expressed strong anger over the cheating and mental exploitation of thousands of rupees by the private schools of Shimla city in the name of picnic and tour of the students and parents. The forum has termed it as collusion between the government and the education department with private schools. The forum has demanded that the exploitation of students and parents being done in the name of necessity of picnic and tour should be stopped immediately. Strict action should be taken against the private school managements who implement unfair educational practices against the orders of the government for the year 2018-19.

Forum’s convenor Vijendra Mehra and co-convenor Vivek Kashyap have said that the private school management has once again descended on dictatorship and they are mentally and financially exploiting the students and parents. As a result of the movement of the Student Parents Forum, the private school managements are strictly violating the rules made in the year 2018-19 and have come straight to profiteering. After the Manch’s agitation in the year 2018-19, the then SDM Shimla Urban Neeraj Chandla had issued an order banning the compulsion of picnics and tours in private schools. In this context, he had issued proper concrete guidelines while taking strict action against the schools which create mental pressure on the parents. Under these orders, no student can be forced for picnic and tour. It was clear in these orders that the compulsion of picnic and tour is against the rules and students and parents cannot be forced for the said tour and picnic. Private schools implemented these orders in the last four years and during the Corona period, but in the current session of 2023, some private schools of Shimla city have issued circular regarding picnic and tour, parents and students are not allowed to participate in picnic and tour. No option to leave has been given. The circular and NOC certificate have been made in such a way that students and parents will have to fill the form against their will and give NOC even against their wish. They have no choice but to express their consent in this way. In this circular, private school managements have issued a unilateral order regarding the issue of NOC for tours and picnics. This is completely in violation of the orders given by SDM Shimla Urban in the year 2018 – 19. It is also a violation of the moral and material rights of the students under Article 39 (f) of the Constitution. It is well known that private school managements have been openly looting students and parents through annual functions, picnics and tours. He has warned the Government and the Education Department that if the Director of Elementary Education and Higher Education does not take concrete action, then the stage will not fail to gherao the Directorate of Education. The work of profiteering by private school managements is going on in full swing these days. Through circulars, they are pressurizing students and parents to go on tours and picnics. In order to ensure the forced participation of students in tours and picnics, the school management is arguing that all students should participate in this, otherwise they will have to participate in the upcoming picnics of this session, which will cost more than this. In this way, private school managements are forcing students and parents to go on tours and picnics in a planned manner by implementing unfair educational practices. This is completely unethical and the silence of the Government and Higher Education Department on this is beyond comprehension. He has demanded the state government to intervene immediately in this context so that mental and economic exploitation of students and parents can be curbed.