Private schools seek clarity on school fee directions

Tribune News Service

Ambala, April 12

The Federation of Private Schools’ Welfare Association, Haryana, has expressed concern over ambiguous directions issued to private schools and has requested the Chief Minister to issues clear instructions regarding school fee.

Kulbhushan Sharma, federation president, said, “The government has directed private schools not to pressure parents into paying fees during the lockdown. At the same time, it has not stated that schools cannot accept fee if paid willingly by parents. Some mischievous people are interpreting it as a direction that no private school can charge fee for this period. As a result, even those parents who are in a position to pay fee have stopped doing so.”

“The Uttar Pradesh Government has issued directions to schools not to ask parents for fee for three months. Instead, the fee should be charged on a monthly basis. Similar instructions have been issued by the Bihar and Rajasthan Governments. The Haryana Government should follow in the footsteps of these states and let schools accept fee from parents who are in a position to pay,” he said.

Allow fee collection for April: Private schools

• The Haryana Progressive Schools Conference (HPSC), an organisation of private schools affiliated to the CBSE, has demanded that they be allowed to collect fee for April.
• Claiming it would relieve them of the financial burden accrued due to payment of salaries amid lockdown, it said the move to stop fee collection would make schools suffer as no relief had come from the government so far.