A group of parents whose children enrol with Ahmedabad International School (AIS) protested against the school’s administration on Thursday.
The protest was in response to the new academic year’s ‘discriminatory’ practise of adding nine optional subjects to the Enrichment Programme. The annual cost of the programme, excluding GST, is Rs. 1.35 lakh.
The parents claimed that despite numerous complaints to the DEO and Fee Regulatory Committee (FRC)-School, they were forced to hold a protest because they received no response. However, the DEO established a three-person committee to investigate the school’s decision to introduce the Enrichment Programme.
The committee set up for the same had reportedly visited AIS in the matter. However, a fortnight later, no decision has been made on the matter. “Under the Enrichment Program offered by the school, students will be taught nine subjects outside the syllabus for an hour after school. The time at which students will leave the school is the same for those who opt for the program and those who don’t. This is nothing but an indirect way to force parents to enrol the children for the course,” said a protesting parent. “Moreover, the fee for the enrichment program is an issue as it is higher than the fee for the entire academic year of many classes,” said a parent.
One of the management officers at AIS, Minesh Shah confirmed that the school management had ten days ago submitted its response in writing, defending the program when the DEO calling. “We have submitted our reasons for implementing the Enrichment Program. We have so far not heard anything from them on the matter, and the DEO is yet to communicate their final report,” said Shah.
He said in absence of any report or direction from DEO the school will implement the program which will teach difficult subjects like Mathematics, Science, English, and Social Science for an hour after school hours.
DEO RM Chaudhari, however, said that they have again issued a notice to the AIS but Shah said he had not received it till late Thursday evening.