Schools in Punjab imparting online education can charge only tuition fee: Singla

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 14

Punjab Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla, while giving a big relief to parents of the state, said only those schools which are imparting online education will be allowed to charge only tuition fee for lockdown period and admission fees, uniform or any other charges in any form will not be charged from the students.

He added that the school managements should also refrain from increasing the fee or any other charges during academic session 2020-21 in view of the nationwide disaster.

In a press communiqué released here today, Singla said economic activities have reduced to the minimal extent due to the countrywide curfew/lockdown, hence there is dire need to provide relief to the parents of the students.

“We have passed an order mandating the schools to charge just tuition fees during the lockdown period,” he said, adding that the government order clearly states that only those schools, who are conducting online classes, will be eligible of charging only tuition fee from students.

“Schools that are not conducting online classes cannot be able to charge any fee or fund,” he asserted.

He said that although interest of the students is “paramount to us but with the new guidelines we have tried to strike a balance by allowing private schools to charge tuition fee so that they can meet their monthly expenses and pay their staff timely”.

Singla categorically said, “This order has been passed complying with the guidelines of the Delhi High Court judgment with the sole aim of giving relief to the students and their parents. The concerned DEO will ensure that beyond tuition fee, no school should charge any transport fee, mess charges, building charges and any additional charge.”

He also directed said that no school can expel any student, if he/she fails to pay tuition fees in time or gets it delayed due to any reason.

Protecting the rights of the employees, the Minister also instructed that schools can neither stop nor reduce the salaries of their teachers and other employees under any circumstances. Besides this, schools managements have also been instructed that they cannot shunt out its employee on the pretext of lockdown and low affair of financial activities. “Strict action will be taken against all those schools, which will either stop or reduce the salaries of the teachers and employees,” Singla said.

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