Complaints of many private schools forcing parents to pay fees for 2020-21 academic year amid COVID-19 lockdown is pouring in in Virudhunagar district.

Parents complain that they are getting frequent phone calls and SMS from the schools asking them to pay the fees. However, parents claim that they are not in a position to pay the fees due to job loss they had faced/facing during the lockdown.

“When majority of the people were facing problem in finding food for family members, how would they be able to pay the fees now,” asked one of the parents.

“When the government itself does not know when the schools could be re-opened, why are the schools pressuring parents. The very promotion of online classes by schools is not to facilitate education, but only to collect fees,” a parent alleged.

The schools were compelling the parents to pay tuition fees, uniform fees, book fees and also fees for boarding facilities, charged K. Samayan, president of Students’ Federation of India, Virudhunagar district.

“How come the schools insist on the students to pay the fees for food when the schools have not been reopened? This is one classic example of how the schools are arm-twisting the parents,” he added.

However, Virudhunagar Chief Educational Officer, M.K.C. Subashini, said the office had not received any written complaints so far.

“People only call us over phone and complain about the fees issue. We have called those school authorities and warned them,” she said.

A circular citing the Government Order that prohibits collection of school fees during the lockdown has been issued to all schools. Even reminders have been served on them.

“But we cannot act merely on phone calls. If we get written complaint, we will act upon them against the schools,” she said.

Mr. Samayan was not ready to buy the claim of the schools that they need to collect fees to pay salary for the teachers.

“Private schools are collecting hefty fees, but pay only a paltry sum as salary to the teachers. Citing teachers’ salary payment is only a lame excuse to collect money from parents,” he alleged.