City school charges money for TC, boy files complaint

Shonaam Tabri DADA

ITANAGAR, Jun 08: A local boy has lodged a complaint to Consumer Rights Organisation-Arunachal Pradesh (CRO-AP) against Government Middle School at Niti Vihar here for demanding money to provide transfer certificate (TC).

A team from CRO-AP, which bats for the rights of consumers in the State, met headmaster in-charge Biri Tapa on Thursday to find out whether a price has been put to obtaining TC.

“Tapa admitted the school was charging money for TC from the students for certain reasons. This is very disturbing for a government-run school,” CRO-AP President Achu Bagang told The Arunachal Pioneer.

“It is a request to the State Education department to provide adequate fund for the educational institutions and visit the schools toward improving the quality of education,” he said.

The complainant said the school was charging Rs 300 from Class I-V and Rs 800 from VI-VIII.

Investigation revealed another student of Class VI did not get TC until his local guardian Luke Bengde paid Rs. 500. “I asked for the money receipt but was flatly refused,” Bengde said.

“It is true that some amount is charged for TC but it is not mandatory. It was a mistake and I apologise for it,” the headmaster in-charge said.

He said that the money taken from the students goes to the development fund of the school, not for personal use. “We do not get money for infrastructure development and other basic needs of the institution,” he added.

“We have to print many documents and maintain register for the school as well as the students. The Education department does not provide sufficient fund to us. We have to bear all the expenditure, Tapa said.

Bagang, meanwhile, requested the denizens of the State to come forward with their grievances. “We are not the law to punish someone but we have the right to know what is going wrong in every nook of the society,” he said.