The General Education Department has barred schools in the State from charging excess fees for the academic year 2020-21 in view of the pandemic and warned against “profiteering” attempts.
A. Shajahan, Secretary of the department, issued a circular to this effect, on December 2. This follows an interim order of the Kerala High Court on November 20.
The official communication said that none of the schools should charge “any amount in surplus of their actual expenditure on account of the pandemic and resultant economic disruption” that have affected every citizen. No profit should be directly or indirectly obtained for the running of any school. “The fees being charged by the school authorities are commensurate to the facilities granted in the pandemic scenario and [it should be] ensure[d] whether there is any profiteering or excess demand. All these confinements are for the year 2020-21 alone and not for the any other year, taking note of the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions, which is peculiar to this year,” the circular said.
The circular pointed out that the Kerala High Court had observed that private schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) were reportedly collecting exorbitant amounts as fee from students. Taking into account the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant economic disruption that have affected every citizen, the court was of view that no profit was directly or indirectly obtained by running of any school during the academic year 2020-21.
The court was of the firm view that the schools must charge no surplus and no profit for this academic year but “only the actuals”. Meanwhile, the CBSE had informed the court that the fee should be fixed as instructed by respective State governments.
