Strike her off rolls: UP school principal yells at parents over notebooks, fee

A confrontation between a school principal and a parent in Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi has gone viral, triggering a wider debate over alleged coercion by private schools in the name of notebooks and study material.

The incident, which took place on April 24 at Sunbeam School in the Civil Lines area, shows principal Mamta Mishra angrily confronting a parent, Neelam Verma, repeatedly shouting at her in front of others. The video, recorded by another parent and initially shared in a school WhatsApp group, quickly spread across social media, drawing sharp reactions.

According to Neelam Verma, the dispute began when she visited the school to pick up her daughter, Alisha, who is a UKG student.

Verma claimed that although she had already purchased the prescribed course material, the school later insisted she buy four additional notebooks worth around Rs 1,200 exclusively from them. When her daughter began returning home without homework due to the absence of these notebooks, Verma approached the principal seeking a short extension to arrange the purchase.

See the video here:

“I requested her to give me 15 days’ time, but she refused to listen,” Verma said, alleging that the principal used abusive language, calling her 'illiterate' and 'uncultured', and threatened to strike her child's name off the rolls.

She has since filed a complaint with the District Magistrate through the IGRS portal, a state-level online platform for managing public grievances in Uttar Pradesh.

However, principal Mamta Mishra has denied the allegations. In a video statement posted on Facebook, she claimed the parent had been pressuring her to reduce school fees. Mishra said the confrontation occurred on a day when the school was conducting a vaccination drive, and despite repeated requests to discuss the matter later, the parent persisted.

Here's what she said:

“Yes, my language may have been harsh, but no one knows what happened before that,” she said, adding that the fee for primary classes is Rs 1,300 and questioning whether it was unreasonable.

The incident has sparked outrage among parents in the region, many of whom have raised concerns about schools allegedly forcing purchases of costly books and supplies.

Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Dr Ajit Singh confirmed that a preliminary enquiry has been ordered. A three-member team has been formed, and further action will depend on the findings, including whether any violation of norms or the Right to Education Act is established.

For now, the viral clip has not only put one school under scrutiny but also reignited a broader conversation around transparency and accountability in private education.