Chandigarh admn put on notice on schools’ plea against collection of fee only

The body has sought quashing of the notification issued on June 3 by the UT adviser to the administrator under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, directing schools to collect only monthly tuition fee from students till further orders, without increasing it for the academic year 2020-21.

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday put the Chandigarh administration on notice after a plea was received from the city’s private schools, challenging UT’s move to allow schools to only charge tuition fee during the lockdown.

The high court bench of justice BS Walia has sought response from UT by July 1. (HT FILE)

The high court bench of justice BS Walia has sought response from UT by July 1. The plea has been filed by Independent Schools’ Association Chandigarh, a body of 78 private schools of the city.

The body has sought quashing of the notification issued on June 3 by the UT adviser to the administrator under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, directing schools to collect only monthly tuition fee from students till further orders, without increasing it for the academic year 2020-21.

The schools were also directed to neither stop payment nor reduce the monthly salary of the teaching and non-teaching staff.

The association told the court that to ensure the students did not suffer, they had been making painstaking efforts in providing education and holding classes online. The members said the UT’s orders were without competence, as though the fees could be regulated, the UT had no legislative power under the 2005 Act and the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions Act, 2016, directing schools to not increase the fee.