Education Held Hostage
By: Javid Amin | Srinagar | 18 June 2025
In a disturbing trend spreading across private schools in Jammu & Kashmir, particularly in Srinagar and other urban districts, students are being denied roll-number slips for examinations until their parents clear pending school fees. More shockingly, schools have now resorted to a public “name-and-shame” tactic, issuing circulars listing students who have not collected their roll-number slips—a thinly veiled reference to those with unpaid dues.
“No Fee, No Exams” is no longer a veiled threat—it has become the unofficial policy in dozens of elite institutions across the Valley.
This practice not only violates the spirit of Right to Education but exposes the morally bankrupt practices of private educational institutions who prioritize profit over the psychological wellbeing of children and dignity of parents. This article lays bare the exploitative ecosystem and the emotional trauma inflicted by Kashmir’s “educational vultures.”
The Language of Intimidation: School Notices Disguised as Reminders
Over the last month, a wave of standardized messages has flooded parents’ inboxes:
“Dear Parents, This is an important reminder regarding the Roll Number Slips for the upcoming examinations… Please collect the roll number slips by tomorrow without fail.”
“Following students have still not collected their roll number slips. Kindly come and collect as exams start Tuesday.”
The subtext is chillingly clear: pay up or your child suffers. The tone—deceptively polite—hides a brutal reality: the roll-number slips will not be issued unless all dues are cleared.
Many parents report being denied entry into school offices unless they bring proof of full payment. Others claim their children were humiliated in class by being pulled aside and told to “remind their parents to clear fees.”
This tactic goes beyond bureaucracy. It is a coercive tool designed to shame, pressure, and blackmail.
The Psychological Cost on Children
Denying roll-number slips is not just an administrative inconvenience; it is a direct attack on a child’s self-worth. Students as young as 6 are being caught in the crossfire of financial disputes they neither caused nor understand.
“My daughter came home crying because her name was called out in class for not collecting the roll number slip,” said a parent from Baramulla. “She thought she was being punished for something she did.”
Teachers, in some cases, have been asked to keep children from “non-paying families” seated separately. Some are even removed from class WhatsApp groups.
This form of institutional bullying sows anxiety, self-doubt, and inferiority complexes that could take years to undo.
A Vicious Cycle of Financial Exploitation
1. Unjustified Fee Hikes
Every new academic session brings along a new fee hike. Without justification, without consultation.
- Annual tuition fee raised by 15-20%
- Admission fees disguised as “readmission” charges
- Compulsory books and stationery purchased only from school-authorized vendors
2. Add-On Charges
Parents are made to pay for:
- Smart classrooms (even if children attend offline)
- Development fund (with no accountability)
- Annual days, sports days, excursions (even if their child doesn’t attend)
3. Digital Fee Trap
Post-COVID, many schools introduced online portals with late fees charged daily. Some portals freeze access to homework or results until fees are cleared. Even school leaving certificates are withheld.
“It’s not education anymore; it’s extortion,” says Abdul Majeed, a parent from Anantnag.
Legal and Ethical Violations
Denying a child their right to sit in an exam over unpaid dues violates:
- Article 21A of the Indian Constitution (Right to Education)
- National Education Policy 2020, which emphasizes inclusive education
- Supreme Court directives which state that no child can be barred from education due to non-payment of fees if their promotion is dependent on it
The Jammu & Kashmir School Education Act also prohibits such coercion, yet enforcement remains almost nonexistent.
The ‘Name and Shame’ Strategy: Digital Humiliation
One of the most dehumanizing aspects is the public listing of defaulters in school corridors or WhatsApp groups.
“Following students have still not collected their roll number slips…”
This is nothing less than public humiliation.
Imagine being a 10-year-old whose name appears on a school notice board or class WhatsApp group—only because your parent couldn’t pay an inflated fee.
What lesson does that teach?
Not about responsibility. Not about hard work.
But about inequality, shame, and emotional trauma.
Where Is the Government?
Despite repeated pleas from parent groups and civil society, the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) has remained largely silent.
No mechanisms have been introduced to:
- Audit private school fee structures
- Penalize roll-number slip denials
- Introduce helplines for parents facing exploitation
Education in Kashmir is becoming a playground for profiteers, not a public good.
Real Voices, Real Pain
Case 1: Mother of Two, Srinagar
“I pay Rs 4500 per month for two kids. In March, I was asked to pay Rs 18,000 or they wouldn’t be allowed to write exams. My husband is a daily wager.”
Case 2: Father from Budgam
“I asked for a breakdown of the development fee. They refused. When I delayed, my son was told he can’t attend practicals.”
Case 3: Orphaned Student
“My nephew lost both parents in COVID. The school says no discount unless he finds a sponsor. No roll-number slip until full payment.”
These are not isolated stories—they are a systemic outcry.
Call to Action: What Needs to Change
For Government:
- Enforce mandatory audits for private schools
- Make it illegal to withhold exam access over unpaid fees
- Create parent grievance redressal cells
For Schools:
- Build empathy into administration
- Offer fee relaxation or EMI models for struggling families
- Stop humiliating students for financial issues beyond their control
For Parents:
- Organize into district-level advocacy groups
- Use RTI to demand school expense transparency
- Document and report every incident of intimidation
The Bigger Picture: Education or Exploitation?
What we are witnessing is not a few bad actors. It is a culture of normalized exploitation in Kashmir’s private education sector. The obsession with profit, polished with the façade of academic excellence, has created a monster that feeds on parental desperation.
Education should empower—not humiliate. Schools should nurture—not extract.
It’s time we ask ourselves: Are we sending our children to school, or to a debt-collection center?
