Jubilee Hills Public School Fined For Failing Class II Student, Causing Agony To Parents 

Hyderabad: In a first of its kind redressal, the Hyderabad District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum 3 has ordered Jubilee Hills Public School to pay Rs50,000 as compensation to a Class II student after it was found that the school had harassed the girl and her parents and withheld her promotion to Class III by withholding her exam result.

The forum further granted Rs5,000 towards costs to be paid by the school, in addition to the compensation, ruling that there was a deficiency in service on part of the school. The forum said the school had made the complainant’s father to run from pillar to post and caused mental agony.

The school argued that the student’s attendance fell short of the required percentage and she was poor in studies.

Case Filed For Threatening Girl's Mother

The eight-year-old girl, represented by her father K. Veera Raghava Reddy, a resident of OU Colony in Shaikpet, had filed a petition against the school’s secretary, principal and the Jubilee Hills inspector of police seeking Rs 15 lakh as damages for loss of education of 86 days.

Mr Reddy said, "We had paid all the fee. After conducting Class II examination, the principal did not release the progress report and did not send information regarding promotion to Class III from July 2015. They called my wife under the guise of counselling and demanded a guarantee letter towards keeping good education standards of my daughter. My wife lodged a police complaint as she was threatened. The school authorities demanded withdrawal of the complaint to give the progress report and victimized my daughter. It is a gross violation of the Right to Education Act."

Mr Raghava Reddy filed a petition in the High Court, which ordered the school to declare the result. Following this, the school sent a letter and the parents collected the report on December 16, 2015. The girl was admitted to another school, and she lost an academic year due to this disturbance.

The school authorities said the student fell short of the mandatory 75 percent attendance but was allowed to write the exam. "On March 26, 2015, the complainant’s mother visited the school and she was advised retest, as the performance was not good. Instead of taking it in the right spirit, the mother walked out without collecting the progress report. Apart from police complaint, the parents filed a petition with the district education officer for derecognition of school. They filed complaints on several forums. We sent reminders for payment of fee but they didn’t bother to pay. It was suggested in the letter that the parents may take away the child from the school in view of the unfortunate incidents," they said.

The school claimed that CCTV footage was given to the police to establish that the allegations of the girl’s mother were false. Jubilee Hills inspector Venkat Reddy told the forum that a case of criminal intimidation and wrong confinement was made out against the JPS and chargesheet filed in Nampally court against the authorities. The forum found no fault with the inspector.