With salary cuts, parents pointed to suspension of daily functioning of private schools for relief. (Express Archive photo)
After Noida and Greater Noida issued an order saying no educational institution can force parents of any student to pay fee, parents in Delhi are hoping for similar relief. Fees for this academic quarter in most institutions are due on Wednesday.
With businesses hit by the lockdown and salary cuts in many workplaces, parents have pointed to suspension of day-to-day functioning in private schools to seek relief. Delhi Parents’ Association (DPA) president Aprajita Gautam said: “We were hopeful the Delhi government would defer fee payment for now, but they have not done anything yet. Our demand is that schools use their reserve fund to pay salaries.”
A parent of a private school student said: “We could be given a breakup of costs and asked to pay whatever’s required for teachers’ salaries.”
On April 2, DPA had written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, stating: “Majority of unaided schools must be having good cash reserves… Without much affecting staff salaries, a moratorium on payment/collection of fee can be declared for at least one quarter.”
On Saturday, Kejriwal had said, “If schools do not get fees, then families of teachers will face difficulties.” Education Minister Manish Sisodia had also pointed out that the “Delhi government in the last five years has curbed arbitrary fee hikes of private schools, but this is an extraordinary time”.
Springdales Pusa Road principal Ameeta Wattal pointed to this and said, “Whatever we get is from the fee. There’s no reserve.”
Some schools, meanwhile, have waived a portion of the school fees for the duration that they remain closed. For instance, Venkateshwar International School has asked parents to pay the fees for this quarter after deducting bus and meal fees.
At DPS Vasant Kunj, the fee notice is yet to be issued. Principal Bindu Sehgal said: “We will not be collecting fees right now.”