Outraged over extra canteen fee, parents protest before school

Unhappy over the Greenwood High School’s decision to charge extra for the canteen, parents of the wards protested before the institution’s campus in Sarjapur on Saturday.

They held placards displaying statements against the school, alleging that it imposed Rs 40,000 as canteen expenses and gave no choice to opt out. The school also rejected the parents’ request that they would instead provide food from home to their children.

“They insisted on canteen food last year as well,” said one of the parents. “If some of us wanted to send food from home, they allowed it only for those students who submitted a medical certificate. They even asked some of them to sit in a separate room to eat home lunch.”

Shiva, another parent, said Rs 40,000 is not an amount all parents can afford. They have also written to the school management, asking them to ensure better quality of food in the canteen and give them the choice to send food from home.

School says...

In an official statement, the school said: “The principal met a delegation of parents and lent an ear to their grievances. He has asked them to give a written application so that he can take a call and address each of the concerns individually.”

The statement insisted that the principal had always been open and had met parents regularly. It also said the fee hike is not as exorbitant as it has been claimed. “Never in the history of Greenwood High School did we increase the fee by such a percentage,” the statement read.

The principal is meeting approximately 10 parents daily on a one-on-one basis to address their concerns, the statement claimed.