Principal: Misinformation on fee hike

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I have been in the office of the Principal for nearly three months and I feel it is time that I reach to you individually at least through this letter. It wasn't easy for me to handle the disturbances and confusion caused by the local media and a few parents after the recent fee hike. Unfortunately, some of the same parents are ready to cough up any amount of money for the tuitions of their wards. But remember that good quality education comes at a high premium even in India since the free education in India is in a pathetic condition.

Good quality education is the sum total of efficient and effective teachers, excellent infrastructure, well-equipped labs and libraries, conducive environment both in the school as well as at home, extracurricular activities that give an added edge to our students in the competitive world outside and an ethos that emphasizes the overall development of the students. Efforts are being made to maintain a high standard of education, and towards that, your support and encouragement are highly solicited. We have already put up three interactive classrooms in the junior school and the students are already being taught using the latest technologies. We are planning to put up similar classrooms in the senior school as well. In this connection I am happy to inform you that we have already made a tie up with the internationally renowned organization called Hughes Communications India Ltd., that provides quality coaching to the students who wish to appear for IIT/AIEEE entrance. A wizard is being put up in our school using the interactive classroom to provide on-line teaching. 15 students from our school have already registered for this course and more are expected to join the same.

Our teachers have been told not to take tuitions and you are advised not to send them for the same because it is better for your wards to revise the lessons at home rather than wasting their time running from tuitions to tuitions as I believe that ‘the self-help is the best help'. However, some parents have expressed their concern that their wards need some more help and guidance outside the school hours. So the school has decided to organize remedial classes in all the subjects on a regular basis after the school for the weaker students (the students who have scored less than 40% in a subject in the first terminal exam). Our teachers are willing to spend a few extra hours after the school taking these remedial classes. I would like to provide them with some remuneration for their service and therefore each student who wishes to join the remedial classes will have to pay a registration fee of Rs. 200/- plus Rs. 150/- per month for each subject. Three days of one hour each per week will be devoted to each subject. The remedial classes will be held from 3.30 pm to 5.30 pm on every working day. Students of standards 4 and 5 will have their classes in the junior school and for standards 6 to 10 the classes will be held in the senior school. The parents who wish to put their wards in this programme, please send the confirmation along with the names of the subjects by 14th September and we will start this programme from 1st October.

In the coming festal season kindly make sure that your ward(s) spend some quality time going through their academics as 2nd terminal exams will commence soon after the Diwali - Chatt holidays.

Sincere greetings of a happy festival season and wish you God's blessings on each one of you!

Fr Sebastian Puthenpura, SJ
Principal