Parents protest Rs 2 lakh ‘caution deposit’ demand from Chennai school

CHENNAI: Scores of angry parents held demonstration on Srimathi Sundaravalli Memorial School campus here, after the management sent letters demanding a ‘caution deposit’ of Rs 2 lakh each from students.
The school responded saying that it would either be shutting down the school or handing over management to other agencies at the earliest. The school with campuses in Chromepet and Perungalathur has nearly 4,000 students on its rolls.
On July 18, the school sent a letter to the parents (a copy of which is available with TOI) stating that it was finding it extremely difficult to manage the institution with the spiralling cost of administration.
Officials of school education department arrived on the campuses and held talks with the parents and management. Speaking to TOI, Angelo Irudayasamy, chief educational officer of Kancheepuram, said: "We have instructed the school to withdraw the letter demanding Rs 2 lakh. We will soon be seeking a written explanation from the management for sending an unwarranted letter," he added.
Earlier, justifying enhancement of the caution deposit fee from Rs 20,000 to Rs 2 lakh per head, the school said though the student strength could be increased to improve the revenue, the school did not prefer to do so as it would have a negative impact on classroom attention.
July 31 was set as the deadline for parents to acknowledge this letter which stated that transfer certificates would be given at the end of the academic year to those who were willing to withdraw their wards.
Aggrieved, more than 100 parents staged at a protest on both campuses demanding withdrawal of the letter sent to them. "We are not sure if the earlier Rs 20,000 was refundable or not. Against this backdrop, it is unfair to demand Rs 1.8 lakh all of a sudden," said a parent of a Class XI student.