KOLKATA: The court sanction notwithstanding, most schools in the city on Tuesday took no step to debar students from online classes though their parents had failed to meet the deadline and pay fees since April. The Calcutta High Court, in its October 13 order, had directed schools to waive 20% tuition and session fees and also instructed parents to clear the dues by November 30 failing which, institutes could remove their children from online classes and other facilities from December 8.
The Church of North India, which runs 12 English-medium schools in the city, decided on Tuesday to “go slow and be tolerant” towards defaulting parents, though the authorities said the dialogue with parents would continue through emails, calls and one-on-one meetings. “We are taking stock of the outstanding amounts and that of parents who are yet to pay. Our chairman, Bishop Paritosh Canning, has asked us to be soft and keep the dialogue on. We are not debarring kids from classes and hope by the end of the year, we will be in a better position,” said John Ghosh, secretary of the CNI Diocese that runs schools, such as La Martiniere for Boys and Girls, St James’, Pratt Memorial, St John’s Diocesan and St Thomas’ Kidderpore. On Monday, the Archdiocese of Kolkata, which runs six schools in the city, had said they were extending the payment deadline to March, the end of the academic year.
At some popular English-medium schools on the city fringes, however, some kids were debarred as guardians, who had defaulted on payment, had reportedly not communicated with the institutes at all. A few parents at some schools also allegedly called up and abused teachers.
Defaulting parents at schools that have not officially extended the payment deadline, like DPS Ruby Park, were especially scared that their children might be removed on Tuesday, but they heaved a sigh of relief as no action was taken against the students. Same was the case with Asian International School, where messages had gone out to defaulting parents that unless they cleared the outstanding amounts by December 7, their wards would be debarred. “We were so relieved to see that the school has posted another message, informing that the deadline for payment has been extended up to December 30,” said a parent, who has spoken with the school authorities and has been allowed to pay in small instalments. “We will not debar kids. Despite constraints, we are trying our best to work out alternatives,” said principal Vijaylakshmi Kumar.
All the schools that have decided not to remove students from online classes or other facilities are the ones that have filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court order that asked all private, unaided schools of the state to allow 20% waiver on tuition and session fees for the pandemic months. The hearing is still on. The parents’ body has also filed an application in the Supreme Court for extension of the payment deadline and a case of contempt against schools for clubbing several heads of expenses under tuition fees. These hearings are yet to come up.
South Point and M P Birla have allowed 250 defaulting parents to opt for different options till December 19 and hence, no student was debarred from classes on Tuesday. “Debarring kids is far from our minds. We know about the parents’ distress and will help them out if they reach out to us,” said spokesperson Krishna Damani. Though no official extension of deadline has been given, heads of St Xavier’s Collegiate School and Don Bosco Park Circus said they were happy with the way most parents had paid up and would hope to collect from defaulters gradually. No one was stopped from classes there either.
At Mount Litera Zee School, Maheshtala, about 40 kids of parents, who had failed to clear the dues, were stopped from attending classes, while 70 were allowed. “In the former case, parents refused to communicate, while in the latter case, parents are truly distressed and are paying up slowly. Those who did not communicate at all, even called up our teachers and abused them,” said principal G M Leena.