A confrontation between a school principal and a parent in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi district went viral on social media of late. The video of the incident, which took place on April 24, shows the principal repeatedly shouting at a parent in front of others. 

The video was first shared in a school WhatsApp group and quickly spread on social media platforms from thereon. 

In the video, the principal can be heard telling the parent, "shut up" and "naam kaat do" repeatedly for buying a notebook from a cheaper shop instead of the vendor designated by the school. 

Watch the full video here

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What led to the fierce confrontation?

According to the parent, identified as Neelam Verma, the issue began when she went to pick up her daughter Alisha, who studies in UKG, from the school. Neelam said that she already bought the required course material but the school insisted that she purchase 4 extra notebooks costing around ₹1,200 from their designated vendor. 

When her daughter started returning home without homework as she didn't have these notebooks, Verma approached the principal seeking some more time to purchase them. 

“I requested her to give me 15 days’ time, but she refused to listen,” Verma said. She alleged that the principal used uncouth language and called her "illiterate" and "uncultured", adding that the principal threatened to remove the child's name from the attendance rolls. 

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What did netizens say?

The video left netizens livid, with users saying that this is why the middle class feels trapped in India. Some even advocated for government intervention in the functioning of schools. 

A user said, "This is exactly why India's middle class feels trapped. We pay taxes for failing govt schools, then get bullied by private ones for daring to save a few rupees on books. Shut up, naam kaat do the mask of education slips, revealing pure business and power trip. Parents aren't customers; they're hostages to their children's future."

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"Parents often stay silent out of fear that speaking up may affect their children. This creates a one-sided system where schools hold excessive power. The government should step in and mandate empowered parent committees in every school, so concerns can be raised safely and accountability is ensured," a second user wrote. 

"Exactly. We see this behaviour everywhere around us. We all have to tolerate it quietly, sometimes it's a patient in a hospital who has to beg for everything his family might have paid for, a child's parents even have to face humiliation for the bad results of their child, for which the school should be answerable," a third user commented. 

Another user wrote, "Whether the fee is ₹1,300 or ₹13,000, it does not give any principal the right to misbehave with parents. A school is not merely a building of bricks and stones, but a centre for instilling values. If the head's conduct itself is like this, then what lessons in 'morality' and 'patience' will be taught to the children studying there?"

Principal's clarification

Days after the video went viral, the principal issued a clarification over the incident. She said that the child's parents were pressuring her to reduce the fees, which led to the incident. 

“Yes, my language may have been harsh, but no one knows what happened before that,” she said. The principal further mentioned that the fee for primary classes is ₹1,300 and questioned whether this was unreasonable. She added that the incident took place during a vaccination drive and that she asked the parent to discuss the matter later. 

Enquiry ordered against school, license to be revoked

The parent filed a complaint with the District Magistrate through the IRGS portal, a state-level online portal for managing public grievances in the state. Moreover, Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Dr Ajit Singh told India Today that a preliminary enquiry has been ordered and a 3-member team has been formed.

Singh told AajTak that the probe revealed several inadequacies, and the process to revoke the school's recognition is underway. He further said that private schools won't be allowed to exploit parents, adding that collusion between schools and book stores will also be investigated. 

Additionally, the Hardoi administration has said that it will monitor private schools throughout the district. The principal has been barred from entering the school premises at present. 

(With inputs from Prashant Pathak)