Keeping in view the financial condition of parents during the COVID-19 pandemic, All Odisha Private School Association (AOPSA) has decided to defer payment of school fees of the students.
At a meeting of the AOPSA, it was decided to give an option to parents to deposit school fees of three months from April to and June without fine by the end of June after opening of schools.
As to why the fees were not waived, the AOPSA said that over 5 lakh employees are engaged in around 9,000 private schools in the State. During the lockdown, the schools authorities are under extreme pressure to bear monthly salaries of employees, school rent and other expenses, said AOPSA president Satya Narayan Mishra.
The AOPSA meeting was convened after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had urged the private schools to consider reduction or deferment of school fees from April to June.