Mangaluru, Oct 2: Upholding the right of students to keep their marks card and other original academic documents with them after getting admission in a new institution, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner K G Jagadeesha has warned of filing criminal cases against private educational institutions if they fail to return all original documents to students.
Speaking at a review meeting chaired by Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Chairperson Kripa Alva here recently, the DC said the institutions have no right to retain the original documents of students, including marks cards and other certificates.
However, many instances have come to light wherein institutions refused to return documents in the event a student discontinues a course midway. They demand payment of full fee to return such documents.
The DC directed institutions to return original documents, if any they have retained, within one month to students.
After a month, officials concerned would visit every private institution and conduct an inspection. If they find any institution retaining original documents, criminal proceedings would be initiated, Jagadeesha said.
Meanwhile, Kripa Alva asked the district administration to ensure every private education institution and hostel in the district would have a student-friendly environment.
The administration should periodically conduct inspections about infrastructure in hostels, she said.
Kripa Alva said that if a student desires not to continue studies in a particular institution, such institution should pave the way for the student’s smooth exit. Instead of demanding the full fee for the course/ term/ year, the institution should refund fees already collected, she said.
The kidnapped schoolboy was rescued by the police and reunited with his parents. Son of a gift shop owner from Basavanagudi area in Bengaluru, Chirag has reportedly told police that decided to make some quick money to spend on cricket betting and gambling after learning kidnap tricks from the ‘Crime Patrol’. According to police, Chirag reached a private school around 3pm on Tuesday on a Bounce rental bike and zeroed in on a fourth standard student who was walking out of school. He told the boy he was his father's friend and that he required help to search for a relative who had gone missing. The boy believed Chirag and rode pillion on the bike. Chirag then engaged the boy in conversation and learnt about his father's business and got his mobile phone number. He then made a call to the boy's father, demanded Rs 5 lakh and warned him against approaching cops. However, the boy's father alerted Cottonpet police and special teams were formed to crack the case. While Cottonpet inspector Venkatesh TC's squad verified CCTV footage in and around the school, Chamarajpet inspector BG Kumaraswamy's team started tracking the suspect's mobile phone movements. An hour later, the suspect's location was traced to a hotel on the Lavelle Road-St Mark's Road stretch. Police rushed there, rescued the boy and arrested Chirag.
Comments
Very good move in the interest of student. It should be made a law at national level. Law should cover all the institution including coaching centers. Marks cards and certificates are precious documents of the students.
In the era of digitalization any institutions can save a copy and return the orginals to the students.
Most of the coaching centers collect the fees in advance for whole tenure and never returns if he or she decides to switch courses and discontinue midway. This practice should be stopped at the national level.
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