High Court gives Chandigarh 2 weeks to consider fee proposal

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 14

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The Punjab and Haryana High Court today gave two weeks to the Chandigarh Administration to consider a proposal on fee collection submitted by the Independent Schools Association. Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia fixed the matter for further hearing for August 31, when the UT would make its stand clear on the issue.

The association, through senior advocate Puneet Bali and Vibhav Jain, on the previous date of hearing, had submitted that there was a proposal it wished to submit to the UT Administration while praying for time to file an affidavit in this regard.

Justice Sandhawalia, in turn, had directed the counsel for the petitioners to place on record the petitioners’ proposal. The Bench had also called for the orders passed by the coordinate Benches and an interim order passed by a Division Bench on the dispute pertaining to the payment of fees in Punjab and Haryana schools during the lockdown period.

Taking up the matter through video-conferencing, Justice Sandhawalia asked the Chandigarh Administration to consult parents as well in case they were in favour of the proposal.

The Independent Schools Association was seeking the quashing of an order directing all private unaided schools to collect only the tuition fee on monthly basis from students while not stopping or reducing monthly salary of teaching and non-teaching staff.

Representing 78 schools, the association, through senior counsel Puneet Bali and Vibhav Jain, had also sought quashing of another order whereby all private unaided schools were directed not to increase fee for the current session without the Administration’s specific approval.

Claiming that schools were making painstaking efforts to ensure that students did not suffer in their curricular and co-curricular activities during the current academic session, Bali said institutions were providing education and holding classes through online platforms.

“Suffice it is to mention that the effort in physically teaching students in a regular classroom cannot even remotely be compared with the effort that a teacher has to expend in providing online education. Several schools have made investments in technology platforms, devices and extensive training of teachers in the interest of students,” Bali submitted.