Schools to take only tuition during lockdown period: Government

Ranchi: The school education and literacy mission department on Thursday issued an order directing private schools to charge only tuition fees from parents for the entire period of lockdown. The formal directive came weeks after the state education minister, Jagarnnath Mahto, held extensive meetings with all stakeholders after the parents’ body raised demands for a complete fee-waiver.
Jata Shankar Chaudhary, the director-cum-special secretary of the department, said, “Schools shouldn’t ask parents to pay others charges, including annual and transport fees, for the lockdown period. Only tuition fees can be taken.”
The government also cautioned that schools should not cancel the enrolment of students over non-payment of fees. It added that the institutes should not deprive children of online education under any circumstances. The schools have been asked to refrain from charging late-fee fines and hiking fees during the 2020-21 academic session. The government has also directed the schools to not stop teachers’ salary for the period. The special secretary said violation of the order by the schools could lead to revocation of the no-objection certificate issued by the state government.
The president of Jharkhand Parents Association, Ajay Rai, said the government’s decision gave only partial relief to parents who are facing acute financial crisis owing to the lockdown. He pointed out that the matter related to fee-waiver for the lockdown period is pending before the Supreme Court.
The opposition BJP criticised the move of the Jharkhand government.
“The Hemant Soren government is insensitive towards education and students of the state. It is playing into the hands of the private schools, otherwise such decisions would not have been taken,” BJP leader Rabi Bhatt said.