“I would like to inform you about the problems being faced by the school due to activities of an illegal organization, IIS Riyadh Parents and Well Wishers’ Forum (IPWF), which claims to represent the interests of parents of students studying in the International Indian School, Riyadh,” the principal said in a statement. “The members of IPWF forcefully entered the school premises on May 14, 2011 and protested against the school authorities. They illegally confined the principal and other administrative staff for more than an hour and left after submitting a memorandum of demands. The protesters threatened physical violence against school staff in case of non-fulfillment of their demands.”
Describing the demands — which included promoting failing students of Class XI and the reversal of a fee hike — made by the IPWF as “unreasonable,” the principal explained that the rules of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) do not permit re-examination for students who have failed in two or more subjects.
“The school had conducted compartment examination for students who failed in one subject and all students passing in re-examination have been promoted to Class XII. However, the students who failed again in the re-examination cannot be promoted to next class which would be in violation of CBSE rules.”
Regarding the fee hike, he said the decision to revise the fee structure was taken by the Higher Board, the supervisory body for all International Indian Schools in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after due consideration of the current financial position and liabilities of school.
“I would like to draw your attention toward the fact that the annual rental liability of the school has increased by SR3.5 million this year. The school also needs to generate adequate financial resources to finance the upgradation of academic and infrastructural facilities and revision of salary of school staff. I hope you would understand that the school was forced to nominally revise the fee structure to keep itself financially viable. I want to assure you that the increased fee revenue would be used judiciously to improve educational services being provided by school.”
Mohan John, speaking on behalf of the aggrieved parents, said the purpose of their meeting was to emphasize some of the current IISR issues, such as the fee hike, reconstitution of the managing committee, inadequate transport facilities, re-examination for failed students, the shifting of the school to a new location, private tuition by school teachers, declining academic standards and safety and discipline inside the campus.
As per the circular, John said the organizers have postponed the meeting. However, he added that a small group among the aggrieved parents said they would submit a written memorandum to the school principal on Thursday. “It will include all our grievances,” he stressed.
A senior diplomat from the Indian Embassy told Arab News that the group representing parents consisted mostly of people who were not parents.
R. Murleedharan, chairman of the IPWF, told Arab News that only parents had gone to the school and not well-wishers. Many parents had gone to pay school fees, he added.
“What is written in the (IISR) circular is not completely true,” said Murleedharan. “Nobody went there by force. Parents assembled there on a workday. We went to the principal’s cabin and asked to meet him. He said ‘I don’t want to meet anyone.’ So the parents waited for him. Than he came and told us he doesn’t have time now and called us on Thursday for a meeting, which he is now denying in the circular. He called us on Thursday, and he said it in front of about 75 people. This is a community school and not just parents but all members of the community are interested in issues regarding the students. Many parents cannot afford the fee hike.”
— With inputs from A. Lakkdawala
