Pooja Dubey

A middle class family struggles to evern afford a school fee and has to work very hard for make up for that. As. As a single mother, my challenge is more pronounced and on the top of it, I am asked by the school to get 10 year old child who is only mild ADHD but gifted with the ability to master academics and can read 400 pages in a day. He also stood out among top 15th percentile in an asset competition that 2.8 Lakh kids as participants. He bagged a gold medal for that. A child who can write a two page letter to his principal on his own to express his emotion is seen as a problem child who cannot stay in school without a shadow teacher or a nanny by Orchid International School, Nigdi in Pune.

Despite the school having a counselor and a shadow teacher in house, they want me to hire another teacher form outside for 17-20k per month and add counseling of 10-15k per month. This is in addition to the school fee of 10k per month. My expenses for keeping him in the school are now almost 45k and not to forget the extra expenses for books and clothes supplied by school that amount to 24-29k for a year. Can a middle class single parent who just lost her job afford this?

My brilliant child is unhappy because he can't attend full school and meet his friends. As a solution I offered myself, BE. MBA, MA, and pursuing PhD and have na experience of 15 years in training, to become his shadow teacher but the school refused. I also offered my mother who has done MA and BEd as n educator to become his helper and that offer was also turned down.

In a country that claims to make every child educated, my academically brilliant child can't take half the classes because I do not have extra money after paying the fee in full. 

The school principal says that they cannot give special attention to every child. ADHD is seen by her as an ailment that needs curing failing to understand that it's his nature that cannot be cured but can only be managed.

My child was given a 10 day punishment to attend only half lectures and now the principal wants this to extend. In our understanding, it's my incapability to manage 45k every month because I have a home loan and no permanent job. In my child's voice, it is an extention of his punishment because no matter what he did to improve, his school principal does not want to give him a chance.

I want the schools to understand that special kids deserve special attention and that school should provide them support instead of declaring isolation or putting more burden on parents. 

Pooja Dubey    Contact the author of the petition