BAHRAIN’S largest expatriate school is requesting parents to settle all outstanding fees by Saturday or face ‘deactivation’ of their children from the institution’s system.
The move comes as it was revealed that a staggering BD700,000 was owed by about 8,000 parents to the Indian School Bahrain since last year.
This deficit has resulted in a delay in payment of salaries to hundreds of teachers and administrative staff.
On September 9 a letter was sent to parents informing them of the dire situation the school was in due to the pending fees. The GDN has secured a copy of the circular.
“The school depends only on the school fees for paying staff salaries and meeting all other operational costs,” said school principal V R Palaniswamy in the letter.
He pointed out that despite repeated reminders to clear the pending dues on or before the 15th of every month, ‘the response is disappointing’.
When contacted by the GDN, the school officials confirmed that despite the major operational costs and delay in wages all classes re-opened on September 4 following the summer holiday, with both curricular and extra-curricular activities continuing well.
The school has nearly 12,500 students and 700 staff members across two campuses, in Isa Town and Riffa.
“As of September 9, there is a significant outstanding fee amounting to BD700,000 from parents,” school chairman Binu Varughese told the GDN yesterday.
“Due to this substantial fee deficit, the school was unable to release staff salaries on time and is facing unprecedented difficulties in managing day-to-day operational costs.
“The salary for the month of August was disbursed on September 12.”
Mr Varughese added that parents have been sent several reminders requesting them to clear the dues.
“The school urges parents to understand the situation and co-operate by clearing the fee dues at the earliest on a priority basis,” he added.
“Parents are requested to settle all outstanding fees on or before Saturday to avoid the deactivation of students from the school system.”
He added the school introduced an online fee payment facility in April this year and urged parents to use this facility by following the link provided on the school website under the Parent Login – Online Fee Payment section.
“The school relies entirely on tuition fees to operate smoothly,” said Mr Varughese.
“To ensure the school’s effective functioning, we kindly request all parents to promptly pay their child’s fees.
“Your timely contributions are crucial for maintaining our daily operations and providing quality education.”
The school was founded in 1950 by the efforts of the Indian community and is one of the largest co-ed schools in the Gulf.
sandy@gdnmedia.bh
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