INDIAN SCHOOL SPECIAL - Unreasonable Fees Hike of 50% within two years.Public Imprisonment of Students for delay in fees payment!
- Futile Please for help from Prime Minister, ILO, Indian Embassy, Indian community-Indian School Power Politics -Harassed Indian School teachers keen to form Overseas Indian SchoolTeachers AssociationTeachers easy target-Lady Teacher sacked for taking Children to attend Iranian Guttural Show -Teacher's Contract Renewed, but Service Terminated with one-sentence order?Nine IS teachers sacked ! More scapegoats expected!-Embassy to harass Indian Citizen!
- Harassed Indian School teachers keen to form Overseas Indian SchoolTeachers Association
"We are facing a very grave problem (here in Iran) and would like to form an association of the harassed, ill-treated and tortured teachers of all Indian Schools (IS) abroad," says Jerry Thomas, one of the several unfortunate teachers of I Ss abroad, who are sometimes treated like contract workers by the school managements. 'The teachers, as a class, are being ill-treated all over. This should be stopped and some dignity and respect should be brought back to their lives. If you can help us in this mission it will be a great service to the whole community of (Indian) teachers living abroad and doing yeoman work for the future of our youth and the young generation," the sacked teacher of I S Teheran said in a communication sent to the Editor of Keralamonitor.com. "Please help us in our mission. Let us join hands to make this world a better place for you and for me and for everybody,' the statement added.
"It was quite interesting to read your report on the Internet about the I S in Mulada. I am writing from Teheran. Here also we have an I S, and most of the problems you have mentioned are happening over here too. I think the problem is with the name of the Institution - I S," said Jerry and his wife Cheryl, both sacked from I S Teheran on flimsy charges. The couple and their two children are facing a very difficult situation in a foreign country. They are seeking moral and material support from the Indian expatriate community to organise the most disorganised academic professionals in this part of the world. Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Thomas Former - Teachers of I S Teheran - Iran are not the only I S teachers who are facing such inhuman treatment in the schools. Since their problem is a unique one exposing the real problems facing the teaching community in the Middle East, keralamonitor.com has a detailed investigative report on the matter. Even though we have sought the opinion of I S Teheran Principal and Administration to give their version of the story, there was no official response. We are publishing this report after waiting for two days to get their reaction.
Futile Please for help from Prime Minister, ILO, Indian Embassy, Indian community
The sacked I S teachers have been running from pillar to post seeking fair justice, revoking their 'illegal termination" or at least to get post retirement service benefits as mentioned in their work contract. They have been complaining in futile to the I S authorities, the Indian Ambassador in Teheran (the patron of I Ss), the Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Head of International Labour Organisation in Teheran and others. At last they are now given an ultimatum to leave Iran within one week. The school is not willing to give them airfare back to India or to allow the couple to complete the legal tussle in the local Labour Court. Despite repeated appeals for moral and material support, the Indian Community in Iran is unwilling to help them financially because they are afraid of the big people who control schools there.
Jerry and his wife had been teaching in the Indian Senior Secondary School for the last 7 years, putting in their best efforts to bring up the standards of the students. "In September 2002, Jerry's wife was terminated from service without showing any reasons. Mrs. Jerry happened to be the class teacher of a fifth standard class in which Mr. P.S. Chandhok's (school president's) son was studying. One of the teachers caught him doing some illegal acts in the school. "Soon after that the school authorities started issuing memorandums to the couple which were full of fabricated lies and evil allegations," the couple said in a complaint lodged with Pri Puran Singh Haer, the Indian Ambassador in Teheran who is also the Chief Patron of I Ss in Teheran.
On 19th March, 2002, Jerry was also terminated in a similar fashion, giving flimsy charges like creating "disharmony amongst the Indian Community in Teheran or working against the school interests etc. "Both of us were terminated in a similar manner, denied a chance to represent our side and not even given a chance to defend ourselves. Both of us have not been provided with any valid reason for our termination. We have been treated very badly, harassed and made to undergo the maximum torture before the final step of termination was taken," says the complaint addressed to the Indian Ambassador. As in many other I Ss, the problem in I S Teheran is linked to the internal power struggle and petty politics, in which some teachers get involved. "I have recommendation letters from more than 85 % of the Parents and nearly all my students. They want me here and have personally written to the Ambassador of India to retain me over here, but the Ambassador does not want me here - I don't know why," he said in a complaint to Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Indian Prime Minister.
Both of the sacked teachers were recruited from India by the President of the then School Management Committee - Mr. R. D. Bhasin and Mr. R. I Dass, officials of the Indian Embassy in Teheran. When a new SMC assumed power, some of the teachers recruited by the former SMC members came under tremendous pressure for unknown reasons. This is a very common pattern followed in I S s and keralamonitor.com is yet to ascertain the reasons for this. Some teachers said that those who have completed 5 to six years are treated badly and nine of them were sacked within a short span of one and half years. Like most of the I S teachers, Mr and Mrs. Thomas joined the school in the prime of their life and spent the best part of our life in Teheran, expecting better salary and benefits.
"In the last six years there was not even a single failure in English in the Board exams and this stream got the maximum number of distinctions," claims the English teachers.
The "charge sheet' made by the I S Principal against Jerry Thomas said that he did not deposit the passports (his and his family's) with the school office. However, the couple denied all the charges. "I have submitted my passport and the passports of my family members to Basheer Azad, the person in charge of getting the work permit and residence permit renewed last month itself.. He has been handling our documentation for the last 7 years," says Jerry. Second allegation is that he did not get his identity card -" The morning before I was given the memo itself I had handed over my identity card to Mrs. Aggarwal for getting it signed by the principal and for fixing the holder which enables it to be pinned on the coat.," he says.
"My termination was done in the most illegal manner. According to the CBSE rules the Principal of no institution has the authority to terminate the services of any teacher. It has to be done by the President of the SMC or the Manager. After the present Principal had taken over, he had terminated the services of 6 teachers,' Jerry says. This sacking saga started even when the principal was on probation!
Indian School Power Politics -Teachers easy target
"Ever since the Manager of the present School Management Committee had taken over he had been pestering me to attack a particular member of the Indian community. Through his emails and phone calls he used to keep on instructing me to spread canards about that particular member of the community. Many a time, he had even asked me to give written complaints against that particular person. I refused to be involved in petty politics and that was what soured our relationship. Because I did not accede to his request he turned his guns on me and started attacking me,' Jerry said in his complaint.
"We have come here to teach in the I S and not to indulge in petty prejudices and bickering. We are not interested in the political maneuvering going on in the I S. We are not ready to take any person's side and spread dirt about the other person. If that is why I am being terminated it is very unfortunate,' the complaint said. "If any student of mine has a complaint against me, I am ready to accept this termination without any protest. But dismissing a person for such frivolous reasons is truly unfortunate, that too in a democratic set up and in a school which comes under the Embassy of India, the representative of our Motherland in a foreign country," the couple said.
"My wife and I have given your institution the best years of our life. We have taught, nurtured and brought up your children ready to face the challenges of the modern world. We have spent 7 grueling years for the cause of the I S. Is this the reward the I S finally gives us?,' they asked the Indian Ambassador, the school patron. According to Karnail Singh. "We all prayed to retain this teacher as our children say that he is very good and very efficient teacher - the 2002 CBSE results is proof for his efficiency which no one can deny. 19 distinctions in English out of a total 34 students is an all time record in the Indian school in its entire 50 years existence and such a record will be rare in India also" they said.
"Mentally, physically and financially the school authorities have destroyed us. After the termination of my wife, the mental torture and financial restraints on our life were too much to bear. The school authorities have deprived us of our daily bread. Our only source of income has been cut off," they said, asking " Is this the reward an employee of the I S gets after putting in 7 years of dedicated service?" "Please give us justice. Please see that truth prevails. Please do not sacrifice innocent people at the altar of lies and enmity," they said.
In a similar complaint before the head of the International Labour Organization (ILO) the couple said the problems began in the year 2000 following some changes in the functioning of I S Teheran. A new Manager for the School Managing Committee ( Mr. P.S. Chandhok) and a new Principal (Mr. Sridharan S.R) have joined together and started attacking me and my wife.
Lady Teacher sacked for taking Children to attend Iranian Guttural Show.
According to the principal, Mrs. Thomas was dismissed and her services terminated as she had taken children out of the school without his permission. According to Mrs. Thomas, she had taken the children for Art & Craft exhibition with the prior permission of the principal. "There was an invitation from Iranian cultural institution to the school. This was (previously) organized. She took some students and Miss Gita (another teacher) also took another group. The taxis were called by the school only. The principal himself went to see them off and the school paid for the taxi also. Then how do you say that she has taken children out of the school without the permission of the principal? This is an absolutely open lie," said parents and members of the Indian community.
Other teachers and students have also participate in the three day exhibition from Saturday, Sunday and Monday "On Friday Mrs. Neelima, Mr. Sagar and Mrs. Jerry along with a parent - Mrs. Mehdi, the mother of Sakina and Wajiha had gone to the exhibition site for decoration as it was official exhibition. On Saturday Ms. Neelima and Mr. Sagar had taken some children, next day Mrs. Jerry was asked to take the children and on Monday Mr. Inderjeet, Mr. Chandhok, the Principal, Miss Ramneet and the students had gone. But only Mrs. Thomas was suspended from service!
According to them, the allegation that she had taken the children without permission is absolutely false and even the Indian ambassador was given a false story. They said false allegation was framed against her due to "jealousy."
Teacher's Contract Renewed, but Service Terminated with one-sentence order?The sacked teachers had signed three years contracts from the I S with effect from 1st May, 2001 In spite of it they have been terminated without any reason being ascribed or without providing any benefits as per the contracts. "We had signed our contracts on 1st May 2001. We were given back our contracts signed by the school authorities on 31st May 2001. When we got back our contracts we found that the school's Manager and the principal had added certain clauses to the already signed document. Since we were leaving for India on the same day, we could not do anything about it then,' the couple informed the ILO chief in Teheran.
According to the three year contract the I S teachers are eligible for 3 months salary or 3 months' notice before termination of services. They are also eligible for family airfare to their native place in India. However, the Principal has refused to provide them with any of the terminal benefits. According to the contract, the CBSE rules and the Indian School's constitution, the Principal has no right to terminate the services of a teacher. Jerry's termination letter stated only that "your service in the I S is dispensed off with immediate effect". Since Mr. Jerry is dismissed, he is not eligible for any benefits, argues the management. However, the term used can only mean that he is honourably relieved of his obligatory duties or services; not dismissed. Hence he is eligible for all benefits mentioned in the contract, Jerry argues and the case is pending in a Labour Court.
Nine IS teachers sacked ! More scapegoats expected!
After the new principal took over one and half ears ago, he has terminated the services of 9 teachers. It is not fully known whether the school authorities of I S Teheran are practising favouritism, nepotism and corruption as alleged by some. In April 2001, the school principal sacked a KG and Primary lady teacher Ms. Asha one year after her appointment because he had to accommodate his wife Mrs. Sridharan in the same post! However, within one month, her service was terminated because the principal made the appointment illegally! Mrs. Chadda, another experienced teacher who worked for 11 years for the school was sacked because of "surplus staff". In June 2001 itself, four to five teachers were sacked because they were found "surplus'. It is learned that the School is planning to recruit new teachers and retrench all the teaching staff due to the poor CBSE performance. The School is reportedly planning to change all the teachers and appoint new ones because of the poor performance in CBSE. "The appointment should be done in such a way that nobody will be forced to hide the bio-data of the new teachers," said IS sources.
Embassy to harass Indian Citizen!It is alleged that the Indian Ambassador in Teheran did not respond to Jerry's complaints after complaints. On the contrary, the Embassy refused to renew the family's Residence Permit and imposed an Exit stamped on his passport dated 11 - 4 - 2002. He approached the Iranian Foreign Ministry which gave him additional 15 days to settle matters "I have written umpteen letters to the Ambassador and his representative to the School Managing Committee, but no reply was forthcoming. After all sorts of appeals fell on deaf ears he filed a court case in the Teheran Labour Court,' he says.
On 10 April 2002, the Embassy wrote to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking them not to extend his Visa. However, on humanitarian grounds, the Iranian authorities extended his visa for another 3 months - till July 2002. On 22nd April 2002 the Indian Embassy once again wrote to the Alien office and the Iranian Foreign Ministry to revoke the extension of his visa. "My family and I have been meted out with ill-treatment time and time again. The Iranian authorities were kind enough not to heed the evil requests,' the couple said.
"When I have a court case already registered in the Iranian Labour Court, how can the Ambassador cancel my Visa Extension and write a special letter requesting the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs not to extend my Visa? How will I be able to continue with my court case? Isn't this mala-fide blockage of my right to get judicial redressal of my grievances," Jerry asks. "Just because of somebody's personal enmity towards me I should not be harassed and tormented like this," he says. While Indian missions abroad are reportedly trying to provide legal assistance to Indians facing work related problems abroad, the Teheran Embassy seems to be working in a different direction.
Public Imprisonment of Students for delay in fees payment!
"My two sons aged 11 and 9 years were studying in the I S, Teheran.. My wife is staying at home without any work. Now they have terminated my services also and I have no means to support my family. Because I couldn't pay my sons' school fee they were thrown out of school. We are in dire straits. We can't even go back to our motherland because we have no airfare,' the complaint to the ILO chief said.
A complaint was also made to the Ministry of Education, Iran with the signature of school students and parents as witnesses for the cruel manner in which the school principal and manager tried to throw out their children from the school. The teacher was unable to pay the fees for his children as he has been out of job and penniless. "Otherwise there was no need of locking the children and forcing the parents to pay fees as there is provision of fine for late payment."
Unreasonable Fees Hike of 50% within two years.
The I S Teheran has been hiking fees and non fees payment from parents without any justification, allege ordinary parents. According to one estimate, the total fees charged from the parents has increased by more than 50 per cent from the year 2000 to 2002. While the tuition fees has increased from Rials 4500 in the year 2000 to Rial 60,000 in 2002, the corresponding growth in library charges was a whopping 11 per centage.
The school has been imposing more and more financial burden on parents by increasing the overall fees - admission fees, examination fees, BM Fund, stationary and medical expenses by more than 30 per cent within two years. During this period, there was no justification for increasing the fees, because there was no major investment or expansion plans. Since the income of parents did not grow correspondingly, the school fees hike has affected many ordinary parents. In the current year, the school has imposed new fees for outdoor sports, IT Charges, insurance and Identification cards. The school has surplus fund and the institution is a non-profit making one. The school management says fees is increased by only 10 per cent, neglecting the non fees charges. A deal to introduce insurance scheme for the I S children is another hot topic of discussion as the management is not disclosing the actual terms and conditions that will benefit students and parents.
The situation over here is very bad. The Embassy of India is throwing us out of Iran in 7 days time. My two young sons and I feel so unhappy.We don't know what to do. They haven't provided us with any reasons for our termination or our forceful exit from Iran.
May God guide you to the truth of the matter and help us in our time of
need...Mrs.Cheryl Thomas on August 8, 2002. Contact and express your solidarity with them..Bold Malayali from Kochi
Jerry Thomas
I am a Malayali from Kochi. My Father still lives on Veekshanam Road, Kochi - 682018. His name is Prof. Thomas Pulikkan and his phone number is 354287. My wife is from Banaglore. She is an Anglo Indian.
We were both in Bangalore before we came to Teheran. I was working for some time in St. Joseph's Arts &
Science college. My wife was working in St. Charle's High School, and then in St. Anne's Junior College, Ulsoor.I studies full time in St. Albert's College. My dad
was a Professor of English over there. I did my M.A.
from Kerala University and my B.Ed., from Madurai Kamaraj University.The Embassy of India has written six letters to the
Alien Office telling them not to extend my visa and to
see that I am thrown out of Iran. The Alien Office has
given me 7 days from yesterday to leave Iran. My court case is till on and the date of the verdict is 40 days hence.I don't know what to do. Since I have signed the
contract in Teheran and also since the Embassy has not signed anywhere on my contract, I don't think I will be able to take up my case in India. Please advise me as to what to do.
Covert Campaign by School lobby to oust Indian Diplomat intensifies.Full Report
