School students made to collect donations
By Our Reporter
Shillong: A common practice in schools nowadays is to make students collect donations for various functions, opined many concerned parents and guardians.
Many Government and non-Government schools are forcing students to rampantly collect annual donations, alleged parents.
One such city school is celebrating its yearlong platinum jubilee, and also asking students to collect donations for a lucky draw as part of the celebrations.
The school authorities say it is “collection by students for an annual fete held in November, every year”. It has nothing to do with the ongoing platinum jubilee celebrations.
A teacher added students collect small donations only from family members, friends and known sources!
Parents in general said many reputed schools also indulged in this kind of practice, however, they generally have no say in this.
A reputed school in Dhankheti is collecting yearly donations; so are schools in Laitumkhrah, Nongthymmai, Laban, IGP Point and various other locations of town, under various ‘guises’, such as school fees, according to many guardians.
School authorities never ask for the parents’ consent; it is simply binding upon the students to collect the donations, they say. “We have no say in this; else the axe may fall upon our wards studying in these schools,” fumed many guardians.
Several parents said if someone happens to raise a voice, school authorities temper them down saying “when all other students are doing this, why can’t your son/daughter do the same”?
In this respect, Government schools are better than the others, since some sort of collection or the other always goes on in the latter.
“Girl’s schools have to be extra cautious in certain areas,” averred parents of wards studying in such schools. Others objected that such door-to-door collection is tantamount to begging! However, they have no choice. They also opined that collecting donations from known sources dries out soon, thereby, leading them to door-to-door collections.
Retired teachers and residents said it is important to check whether these schools can be brought under purview of the law. “It is uncalled for. Why can’t schools do away with such collections and organise extra-curricular activities for students’ benefits?” they asked.
Students of non-Government schools, on the other hand, said they are sent for collections once in a year by their schools.
“We are sent in groups of three to four students,” they informed. Most students said they have to obey school instructions, of the authorities and teachers.
A State Education department source said they couldn’t act on these issues, since managing committees manage such schools.
Source: The Shillong Times
