Were you ever given an imposition when your fees was not paid on time while you were in school? Even if you weren't, most of us have been subjected to impositions for various reasons. The New Horizon Scholar’s School, on Godhbundar Road, Thane, Mumbai asked six to eight students to write a sentence 30 times. This was done as a punishment as their parents had not paid diary and identity card charges, as stated in a report by Hindustan Times.
On Monday, April 17, students were asked to write this line 30 times: "I will not forget to bring Rs 300 tomorrow". The deadline for the submission is April 20. Following this, yesterday, April 18, a parent of the student reported this to the management and it promised action against the teacher.
But how fair is it for a teacher to give punishment to a student for late fees? Opposing this incident, the Headmistress of the Government Girls High School (GGHS) Mahboobia, Hyderabad, Telangana, Uma Mupiddi, said, "As per the old and even as per the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, no student should be punished. Moreover, fee payment is not the duty of the child."
"What will you get by punishing the students?" questioned the headmistress. "Child is innocent and ignorant of such matters. We should understand the condition of the child before giving such punishments," she added.
Similarly, Principal of Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Shoba Raman, said, "These matters can be addressed between the parents and the administration. The child shouldn't be brought in between such monetary matters or penalised."
Sharing her personal experience, Raman told EdexLive "In my 28 years of my work life, I have never used imposition. It does not bring the expected outcome. Moreover, children are not going to learn from it."
Further, HM of GGHS said these situations are common in private schools while a few make it to the news while others do not. "There is a need to look at the psychological aspect and the family background of children while giving punishments," she highlights.
