With the lockdown being extended till May 3, where most of the schools have started conducting online classes to make up for the time loss, educational institutions under Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) are also contemplating whether to charge the students for tuition and transportation fees for the lockdown period or not.
While schools claim to charge bus fees for 11 months with one month being waved off for summer vacations, authorities also claim that transportation fees for the month of April can be waved off within the same criterion.
“During this crucial time, CBSE schools would also like to contribute to the society and work for the people at large. A meeting is scheduled to take place in the first week of May. Regarding the fees a number of options are being considered at the moment. One option is of not charging the quarterly fees but taking monthly fees instead,” said Ram Singh, Principal of Delhi Public School and President, Sahodaya School Complex, Ranchi.
Singh also stated that no fine will be charged and parents will not be pressurized to pay the fees on time. “All the options will be considered so that there is not any burden on the parents as well. The school also has to pay salaries and a final decision is yet to be taken,” he added.
Secretary Sahodaya and Guru Nanak School Principal Dr Manohar Lal also emphasized that no fine will be charged for late payment of fees.
“If the schools reopen in May, then the month of April will be considered as summer vacation and bus fees will be charged for 11 months like any other year. We are also considering of extending the last date of fees payment to avoid any undue pressure. Till the time things get back to normal, late fees will also not be charged initially.”