Pulwama (KNO) : many Students in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district accuse management of a local school for charging them rupees thousand for issuance of discharge certificates, which they believe is against recommendations of fee fixation committee of school education department. The students, who recently passed their 10th class examination from Sky Lark institute of Education Dangerpora Pulwama, said that principal of concerned institute has withheld their certificates.
“He is demanding rupees one thousand from each student for issuance of discharge certificates and marks certificates when such a fee has not been mentioned in any document of the school,” said fayaz ahmad,” one such student, adding that the delay in issuance of educational documents is hampering their wards admission to next class. “The admission to higher secondary classes has already begun and we fear that we may miss the deadline,” the students said, adding that they brought this issue into the notice of deputy commissioner Pulwama.
“The deputy commissioner directed us to concerned chief education officer but to no avail,” the students said. Chief Education officer (CEO), Mushtaq Ahmad Salroo said that he has taken the matter with director School Education Kashmir and has written to him about the non-compliance of the school administration in this regard. “We are unceasingly receiving the complaints against the Principal of the school for charging annual fees of Rs 1000 against the issuance of discharge certificates,
” the letter reads. It further reads that the management was unnecessarily charging the dues which have not been approved by fee fixation committee and had sought the action against the said school. The chief Education Officer said that he would again talk to the school management to seek an amicable solution to this issue. Feroz Ahmad, Principal Sky Lark institute of Education said that they have their own bylaws wherein it has been stated that students will be charged at the time of discharge.
“It was decided in 2011 that students will have to pay rupees one thousand at the time of discharge,” the principal said, adding that they have provisions for giving concession to needy and poor students due to which they incur significant loss. Authorities in school education department said charging students a sum of rupees one thousand for discharge certificates is against norms of fee fixation committee.(KNO)