A large number of parents of the students from IISJ attended a meeting convened by the India Fraternity Forum (IFF) condemning the tuition fee hike by IISJ and its counterparts in other cities such as Riyadh and Dammam. (Courtesy photo)The campaign to oppose a rise in tuition fee recently announced by Indian International School (IIS) branches in Saudi Arabia has taken a new turn with a number of social organizations based in Jeddah and Riyadh joining the coterie of protesters. After calls by parent groups went unheard by the respective school managements, these social organizations sought to mobilize a larger section of the Indian community by initiating a signature campaign in Jeddah and setting up a specialized committee in Riyadh to deal with the controversial issue. The parents of students enrolled at various IIS schools called upon the respective school managements in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam to withdraw the proposed hike in the tuition fee structure which, if implemented with the new academic year, will affect parents financially by up to 45 percent more in fee payment. Mohammed Ashraf, General Secretary of the Jeddah-based social organization India Fraternity Forum (IFF), said that parents raised their voice against the circulars that they recently received from the school management announcing the fee hike, but that their calls went unheard. He added that the IFF has initiated a campaign and, within three days, collected over 10,000 signatures from members of the Indian community condemning the proposed fee hike. “We have received an overwhelming response from members of the Indian community by collecting more than 10,000 signatures on the petition that we have already dispatched to Indian cabinet ministers,” he said. These ministers include the Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi, with copies sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukerjee and Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resources Development. A copy of the petition has also been sent to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, the consulate in Jeddah and the patron of IIS schools in Riyadh and Jeddah, respectively, Ashraf said. The five-point petition, a copy of which was seen by Saudi Gazette, has sought the Indian government's intervention to stop the exorbitantly high fee, proposed to be implemented from the new academic year. “The International Indian School, Jeddah (IISJ) principal has cited an expansion program and improvement in the quality of education in the circular,” explained Ashraf. The proposed fee was across the board from primary to higher secondary classes. The petition has sought to underscore the financial constraints of Indian community due largely to inflation in essential commodities and rents, forcing them to adopt austerity measures. The petition has also underlined the fact that IIS is an Indian community institution that runs on a not-for-profit basis and that caters to the educational needs of low-income Indians. Any increase in tuition fee would adversely affect the interests of parents. In Riyadh, a number of social workers representing various social organizations have joined hands to press upon the management of the International Indian School, Riyadh to call back the circulars issued to parents. An ad hoc committee has been formed for better coordination between the parents and school management. R. Muraleedharan heads this committee. He is also the president of the Riyadh-chapter of the Federation of Keralite Associations in Saudi Arabia (FOKASA), an umbrella social organization with 22 different groups across the Kingdom. FOKASA seeks to reach out to destitute Indians living across Saudi Arabia and address their welfare issues. Other members of the committee include Mohan John (Convener), with members Aruvippuram, Basheer Panakkad, Ali, Shibu Pathanapuram, Ravi Neyyattinkara, Latheef Thechy and Mahesh. Muraleedharan said a meeting was convened whereby it was unanimously decided to call upon the IISR principal to discuss issues relating to the functioning of the school including the recently declared fee hike and transparency of financial accounts. The committee has observed that any increase in the tuition fee would be unjustifiable and unacceptable by parents. The functioning of the IISR management is unprofessional and fails to meet the norms of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), to which it is affiliated, he said. “The highhandedness of the Principal, who is taking decisions on all financial issues is totally unacceptable to the committee,” he said. In a 14-point letter, the committee has also highlighted falling discipline among students and deteriorating security at the school premises that are giving rise to incidents of hooliganism and group fighting among the students. Muraleedharan alleged that there have also been reports of financial irregularities and the school has already recruited staff in excess of 25 percent, causing additional expenses to the school. Other issues that were discussed in the committee meet include mismanagement in the handling of school transport; unhygienic conditions that pose health hazards to students, particularly due to the unclean toilets schools premises and the unchecked and booming private tuition services offered by the school's teaching staff and among others. About 50,000 children of Indian expatriates are enrolled at seven international Indian community schools run under the patronage of Indian Embassy and Consulate General of India in various Saudi cities.
