City International School in Oshiwara erupted in chaos on Thursday, hours after Mumbai Mirror reported on the institution’s imminent shutdown over what the management described as an unsustainable rent hike.
By the afternoon, the campus had transformed from a routine school day into a charged protest scene, as dozens of anxious parents flooded the premises demanding answers about their children’s future. Corridors rang with raised voices, tempers flared, and the usual calm of classrooms and assembly halls gave way to confrontation and confusion.
Parents confronted staff members, seeking clarity on the sudden closure announcement. However, several alleged that instead of engagement or reassurance, they were asked to leave the campus without being heard.
The management declined to hold a meeting and instructed parents to vacate the premises, warning that the police would be called if the gathering continued. “The management refused to hold a meeting, declined to share the landlord’s contact details even when all of us offered to negotiate ourselves, and warned that police would be called if we did not disperse,” said a parent who was present during the protest.
“The school isn’t even giving us the landlord’s number or contact details, and the management refuses to speak to us now. How are we supposed to find answers? What are we supposed to do?” asked a parent of a Class 4 student. “We will protest. This is completely unfair.”
Rent hike at centre of crisis
The unrest followed Tuesday’s email from principal Dr Mansi Gupta to teaching staff and parents, announcing that the school would cease operations from the 2026–27 academic year. The communication cited a sharp increase in annual rent – from Rs 35 lakh to Rs 55 lakh – which the management termed “unreasonable and impossible to sustain”. It also referred to pending reimbursements under the Right to Education (RTE) Act and unpaid fees, compounding the financial strain.
“It is with a very heavy heart…” the letter began, before confirming that the school would not continue operations beyond the stated academic year.
Parents were instructed to apply for Leaving Certificates (LCs) before March 15 and collect them between April 15 and 25, effectively formalising the impending closure. Many described the notice as abrupt, impersonal and lacking in transitional support.
For families admitted under the RTE quota, the impact is particularly severe. “We secured admission here through the lottery after endless paperwork,” said a mother. “Now the RTE process opens again this month (February), and we will have to start from scratch, fill in forms, wait through multiple rounds, and hope our child’s name is selected. We have already endured this once.”
“There is fear. Every day feels like the last,” a mother said. She recalled a similar episode in 2014, when parents were reportedly asked to collect LCs amid talk of closure, only for the issue to be resolved months later. “This time it feels more serious because they have given a clear timeline and announced it formally through email,” she said. “We appeal to the education department to step in. Otherwise, private schools may cite such issues and shut down at will, jeopardising our children’s academic future.”
Others expressed concern about students approaching board years. “Our children will be in Class 10 next year. It is a crucial stage,” said a parent of a Class 6 student. “How can they suddenly change schools now? Which school will absorb so many students at once? Instead of offering reassurance, they are threatening to call the police.”
Wider concerns and calls for intervention
The uncertainty has also unsettled teachers and non-teaching staff, the majority of whom said they were taken by surprise by the email. “We had heard vaguely about rent issues, but the announcement shocked us,” said a senior teacher. “There is no clarity about our jobs or any transition plan. After years of service, everything suddenly feels uncertain.”
The management, however, maintains that closure is unavoidable. Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, Gaurav Bhagwat, Head of Administration, said the landlord’s escalating demands had rendered continued operations financially unviable.
Education activists argue that the episode highlights a deeper structural vulnerability. Schools operating from rented premises in high-value real estate pockets, they say, are increasingly exposed to landlord pressures. “When rents spike, children pay the price,” said education activist Prashant Gohil. “If the school is indeed shutting down due to rent issues, the state education department must intervene and conduct a thorough inquiry. There needs to be policy protection. Schools cannot be treated like ordinary commercial tenants.”
For now, the Oshiwara campus continues to function, with morning bells ringing and examinations proceeding as scheduled. Yet parents say the atmosphere has irreversibly changed.
