Parents in Qatar start online petition against Indian school for charging ‘optional fees’
There has always been a lot of complaints and arguments regarding school fees in Qatar.
Now, the parents of students in an Indian school in Qatar have started an online petition against the management for imposing an additional ‘optional fees,’ reported The Peninsula.
The parents feel the additional fee is unjustified since if the fee is not paid, the students will not have access to study material published on their website, according to the newspaper.
As per the petition on change.org, signed by close to 700 parents, DPS-MIS used to charge an ‘activity fees’ earlier, which was discontinued following instructions from the Ministry of Education.
The petition, addressed to the Private School Section of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, said the same had been notified to parents through a circular dated February 21, 2018.
As an alternative to the activity fee, the school is said to have now imposed a new fees — Optional fees — varying from QR700 to QR1,200 depending on the child’s grade.
“The fee structure approved by the Ministry for DPS-MIS doesn’t have a component of activity fee and/or an optional fee,” the petition said.
The Peninsula quoted one of the parents as saying that the school was forcing everyone to pay optional fee for some rare services, which are not useful for all students. Additionally, the school has now blocked students’ access to online assignments even after paying term fees.
As per the optional fee form circulated by DPS-MIS, the choice of making the payment towards the said fees is each parent’s individual discretion but with an underlined fine print that the child studying in the school cannot avail the following facilities in case the parent chooses not to make the payment.
1) Educational content and resource material in the school e-learning portal.
2) Mobile App to keep updated on school affairs.
3) Staff on duty to train and accompany students on Overseas Trips like Debates, MUNs etc.
4) Providing subsidy to children participating in International Sports and academic events representing the school.
5) Annual Overseas Trip accompanied by the staff sponsored by the school.
6) Subsidy on bus tracking system on payment to the vendor
Parents who signed the petition feel that every child should have the right to access study material as it is their right and fees is charged for academics and they also feel that the school trips are applicable to a only few students and the payment for the same should be made as and when the trip happens.
Those who have signed the petition have requested the intervention of the Education Ministry and requested the school to withdraw the ‘optional fee’ and give access to study material to all kids.
@Zam Zam
hahaha..... nice name 'Molten Mental'
xD
Totally agree with Zam.!!
You accepted it , you are 100% topics not reading, 100% topics not responding. Are you a QLer still ? Yes , You are, by force. Yes.
Accha is 200% right when he simply does not understand the 50% of the topics and remaining 50% he does not answer, unlike you.
Zam, You can't say about the others, that too in a negative light. How do you rate others '' SO POOR '' that they just look upto you only to decide who is good & who is bad ?? Don't others have a similar brain ? They never accepted it but only you yourself are painting them like brainless fellows !!
Achabachcha... you are 200% correct... Molten Me(n)tal is a sick to QL. I even hate to come to QL due to his comments... misguiding many people... unnecessary comments, playing with those who seek help. QL moderators must look in to this.
This is absolute looting.
First of all, parents have to pay for services, for which they are not availing or not interested. other than the online portal, no other so called services are of interest to most of the parents. Until last year, they tried to loot the money in the name of access to mobile app. it was a paid service for QAR 100. but they miserable failed to get the people bite on that bait. Now they are trying to sell that in this way.
Another service they offer is bus tracking. Many parents are not interested in this service, even if their children are availing the transportation service. then what about those who do not avail the transportation facility at all. Why should some one pay for something for which they are not interested at all?
Even they have published a new notice in their website claiming that a communication received from ministry, mentioning they are allowed to collect the fees, without forcing the parents.
The name "optional" is only in the name. but actually it is by force. they make sure that, each and every parent is forced to pay this fee by blocking the access to on-line portal, where assignments and other study materials are uploaded. On enquiring about it, how the students, who has not opted for the optional fees will get these materials, the reply received from school was that, they will publish the same in the notice board. Students need to go to notice board every day to see, if there are any new study materials published. if it is available, they need to fight with other students to get a spot in front of the notice board, stand there, copy the whole content to a note book and rush to the bus stop to see, if the bus is still available. if the bus is still there, good luck. else, its a bad luck and find your own way back to home. Schools dont care about it.
What an idea sirjee to get the (enforced)optional fees..!!
First DMIS (Doha Modern Indian School) and now DPS-MIS.
A year ago, DMIS tried to enforce the RFID fees (QAR 1200 per year !!) and due to the online petition of parents, they were forced to withdraw their money-making racket.
What's with these Indian schools? Run purely as business.
No wonder good teachers (poorly paid) leave such 'business' establishments.
No respect for teachers or parents.
other than the old time schools like Ideal, MES, Pak Shama etc; every other new shiny Indian school is a money making exercise by shady greedy people who have rushed in to Qatar to cash in on desperate parents' helplessness. I remember my high school fees used to be 500 a month including everything from study material to transport and now parents are paying like 20k a year for nursery and kindergarten; just a joke and i really feel for this newer generation of Indian parents/students...
Poor CREDIT score loan seekers can't be kicked out.
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@acchabaccha You are absolutely right.
Lak, That's right.
Accha, You are wrong if you are against HBK. He is a bit rough in the language but he is suffering from the apparent pain.
HBK, Schools are run with the money, everybody needs money, our kinds will be also bringing home money when they get educated & work afterwards. Lets not count it '' our own kids fees as our expenses,'' Actually this is our investment in our own kid, they will make huge earnings when they are qualified & employed. Some of them will open their own schools, please have our focus on the future, when our kids will open their own schools and charge fees from the others' kids' parents, wait for that day !!
This person has been posting STUPID comments for over six years now; loves to misguide, misinform, make false promises and get some enjoyment from such acts.
It is almost everyday when I am forced to post whenever Molten Metal has given some wrong information or made a false promise. I hate to do it, but then I don't want people who are seeking genuine help or advice to be misguided.
Just scroll down the QL page for two the past two days and you see for yourself how many comments this person has "jumped" to post and be the first one to do so.
paid dlc, just like EA
@MOLTEN..You really have metal in your head and no brain..if it was that wasy why would have parents opted for online petition...secondly for sure school managment only cares how to loot parents one way or the other..Schools get rejected by minsitry for a certain fee hike,they come up with another option to get it out from parents...education has become business in qatar for many considering parents have no option so they take them for granted...GOOD STEP BY THE PARENTS.LET THE MINISTRY DECIDE.!!!
This is not good for the parents, just have a tea - biscuit meeting with the management and resolve the issue, it is so simple guys.