UP School Row Goes Viral: Principal Screams 'Shut Up, Get Lost' At Parents Clash Over Notebooks (WATCH)

A heated argument between a parent and a school principal in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, has gone viral, igniting a debate over alleged extortion by private schools. The conflict reportedly arose when the parent was allegedly forced to buy expensive notebooks from the school. 

A fight between a parent and a school administrator in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, has gone viral, sparking a larger discussion over purported extortion by private schools in exchange for study materials and notebooks. In the incident, which happened on April 24 at Sunbeam School in the Civil Lines neighbourhood, principal Mamta Mishra is seen yelling at parent Neelam Verma in front of other students. The video, recorded by another parent and initially shared in a school WhatsApp group, quickly spread across social media, drawing sharp reactions.

Neelam Verma claims that the argument started when she went to the school to pick up Alisha, her UKG daughter. She says that even though she had previously bought the required course materials, the school eventually requested that she purchase four more notebooks from them alone, totalling about Rs 1,200. Verma asked the principal for a brief extension to make the purchase after her daughter started coming home without homework since these notebooks were missing.

“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.

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What Did Principal Say?

However, principal Mamta Mishra has denied the allegations. She said the parent had been lobbying her to lower school costs in a Facebook video statement. According to Mishra, the incident took place on a day when the school was doing a vaccination campaign, and the parent persisted despite multiple pleas to talk about the issue at a later time.

“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.