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A family in Kerala’s Malappuram district has sought action after their five-year-old UKG child was left on the roadside for not paying the school bus fee.
The incident took place at Chelambra ALP School, an aided institution where staff salaries are paid by the state government, but the day-to-day administration is managed privately.
The family has approached the Education Minister, the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, and the police seeking justice.
According to reports, the UKG student was not allowed to board the school bus earlier this week because of an unpaid fee. The child, who had been waiting for the bus as usual, was informed that he could not get on since the dues had not been cleared. He was allegedly left behind without the parents being notified, as the bus departed with the other students.
Left alone, the child began to cry and eventually returned home on foot. Neighbours who noticed the crying child on the roadside helped him reach home safely.
The school claimed that the bus driver acted on the principal’s instructions. The directive reportedly stemmed from a delay in paying Rs 1,000 in bus fees for two months.
Following public outrage, school authorities and PTA members visited the family to apologise. However, citing the emotional trauma suffered by the child, the parents have decided to withdraw him from the school.
The parents alleged that the child was abandoned without prior notice and that the school management behaved rudely when the mother went to lodge a complaint, allegedly telling her to leave the premises.
The mother confirmed that her son would no longer attend the school. The school authorities declined to comment on the matter.