Hundreds of students of St Mary’s Convent High School in Mulund have been denied access to online classes as well as exams for not paying fees. Parents alleged that they had told the school that they’d pay the fees in instalments, citing that their jobs were impacted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the school administration did not budge.

The school had recently sent a notice to the parents saying that if the fees were not paid before March 15, their children would not be allowed to attend exams. Following this, a number of parents approached the school seeking some relaxation and more time to pay the fees. A 36-year-old, whose two daughters study in school, said, “Before the pandemic, I used to work as a caretaker for a family who had enrolled both my daughters to this school and also paid the fees.