Srinagar: A class 10 student from Srinagar was unable to write the first paper of his annual exams on Tuesday after his school allegedly withheld his admit card for not clearing his dues.
Abrar Zafar, a student enrolled at Shaheen Public School, Hawal, was denied the admit card by the school for failing to pay Rs 8000 pending dues, Abrar’s mother told Kashmir Reader.
Despite visiting the school a couple of times and offering to partly pay the fee for now, she said, the school principal, demanded the entire amount, and refused to issue the admit card as a result of which Abrar missed the first paper.
Hailing from Nowpora area of Srinagar, Arbar is currently at her mother’s maternal home due to a marital dispute.
Abrar’s mother said it was impossible for her to clear the dues of her son in one go even as she was forced to work at a small industrial unit for her son, who is living with her.
When contacted, Principal Shaheen Public School, Hawal Fatima Banu refused to talk on the matter and instead passed the phone to the school administrator, Imran Hafiz.
Hafiz claimed they had called Abrar’s relatives and offered to issue the admit card even if they paid the fee later.
“But they didn’t show up,” Hafiz said.
Abrar’s mother, however, refuted the claims and said the school had called her brother only at the last minute when was meaningless.
“They called my brother at around 11 am on Tuesday when he was in Gulmarg. He could not call us back due to poor network. The examination was to start around 12, so how was it possible for us to collect the admit card,” she asked.
Hafiz admitted that Abrar had not yet been issued the admit card “as he has not cleared the fee from March this year”.
Concerned officials could not be contacted for their comments.

Irshad Khan