Schools have been asked not to hike fee in in a notice released in May (Representational)
Tripura has served notices to 11 private schools asking them to clarify if they have hiked fees for students amid COVID-19 pandemic and explain the reason behind it, if they have hiked the fee.
The notices came in the midst of a strict instruction of the state education department to 343 private schools to restrict increment of fees during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to halt fee hike due to pandemic and the ensuing lockdown was taken at a joint meeting of the government and different school authorities on May 6.
Speaking to reporters, Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath said, “We have sent notices to 11 private schools through concerned district education officers. We had requested the private schools not to hike student- fees this time”.
Nath mentioned that his government received complaints against the 11 private schools for having allegedly hiked their fees, despite the government’s instruction. He also warned other schools of stern disciplinary action if any of them were found to have hiked the fees.
“They should not raise a single penny in fee during the lockdown. Guardians are already in the middle of serious condition as it is. We can not let schools to keep hiking their fees despite that. We shall initiate action against for violators,” the education minister informed.
Tripura currently has 4,398 government and government-aided schools apart from 343 private schools. Five lakh students study in these schools across the state including nearly 1.23 lakh admitted in the private schools.