The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) will issue an advisory to the Uttarakhand Government about the private schools purportedly pressurising parents to submit the school fees of their children during the lockdown. Several parents have complained to SCPCR about the schools pressurising them to pay the school fees including the charges for the facilities which are not even being utilised by students.
Even before the implementation of lockdown, various schools were already not operating due to concerns caused by novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) spread. Though many of the schools are reportedly facilitating online classes, they are also continuously pressurising parents to deposit the school fees including various other charges.
"My two children study in seventh standard. Last week, the school mailed us asking us to deposit three months fee that included transportation charges, lab charges, sports fees and others. The school is hardly providing a one hour online class per day since the lockdown implementation. It is totally unfair to demand such a hefty amount just for one hour online class," said Haldwani resident Sandhya Dwivedy. According to Rajpur resident Harish Bhandari, “I am quite furious that our state government has not issued any strict orders to stop such harassment by school administration.
We are getting the reminders from school to deposit the fees of my three kids every day. I work in Delhi but since the implementation of lockdown I have been here and without any pay I cannot deposit three months fee that include all the unnecessary charges.”
On this issue, the chairperson of SCPCR Usha Negi opined that when everyone in the country is trying to help others in every possible way, some schools are still thinking about making money.
She said that those schools that run under charitable trusts and societies are also pressurising parents for fee submission when there is actually an opportunity to do some help and charity. However, there are some schools which have waived off three month fee considering the current crisis, informed Negi. The SCPCR will issue an advisory to the State Government and the Education Department about schools pressurising parents for fee submission, said Negi. She added that no school would be allowed to hike fees even after the lockdown, or charge for any other facilities which are not currently being used by students.
Reportedly, the Principals Progressive Schools’ Association (PPSA) had earlier questioned how the schools would pay salaries to staff if the school fee of three months is waived off. Talking about this, Negi said that paying the staff does not mean that schools will ask for unnecessary charges during the crisis. On being asked about the said issue, chief education officer Asha Rani Painuly stated that until the state administration gives any instructions, nothing can be done by her on this matter.