The Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation education department has issued a show-cause notice to Tapovan Vidyalaya in East Bhayandar after a student was reportedly charged Rs 20 for bringing fenugreek in a tiffin during the Paryushan period.
According to a report by Loksatta – Vasai-Virar, the student was charged the amount and given another food item from the school canteen. A remark stating that an alternative food item had been provided after collecting the charge was also reportedly made for the student.
The complaint prompted the municipal education department to seek an explanation from the school. Education Officer Sulabha Vatare has directed Tapovan Vidyalaya to submit its response by September 21 and warned that further action could follow if the school fails to provide an explanation.
The school had not submitted its response at the time of the report. Attempts to contact the school for its comment did not receive a response, according to Loksatta – Vasai-Virar.
The case has raised questions about the limits of school-level rules governing students’ food and the authority to impose charges on pupils. Tapovan Vidyalaya is registered as a minority school. The report said that while such schools have the authority to frame rules as required, education-sector experts cited by the publication stated that there is no provision for imposing a fine or charge on students in this manner.
The reported action also comes against the backdrop of an earlier notice issued to Seven Eleven School in Mira Road. That notice followed a message sent to parents asking them not to send certain food items in students’ tiffins during the Paryushan period. The school later withdrew the message.
The two cases place municipal oversight of schools at the centre of the dispute. In the Tapovan matter, the education department’s immediate step is to examine the school’s explanation and determine whether further action is warranted. The school was required to submit its response by September 21.
