Parents protest outside Chandigarh school over fee collection amid lockdown

Protesting parents said the school had no right to charge fee when it was not taking any online classes during the lockdown

Over a hundred parents gathered outside St Xavier’s Senior Secondary School in Sector 44 to protest against collection of fee amid the Covid-19 lockdown by the school authorities. Protesting parents said the school had no right to charge fee when it was not taking any online classes during the lockdown.

Over a hundred parents gathered outside St Xavier’s Senior Secondary School in Sector 44, Chandigarh, to protest against collection of fee amid lockdown by the school authorities on Friday. (Keshav Singh/HT)

One of the parents had on Thursday filed a formal complaint with the UT education department against the school.

Parents protesting outside the school said they wanted to give a signed undertaking to the school authorities, but they refused to receive it.

They alleged,“Instead of listening to our demands, the school authorities called in police. It was only later that the school authorities let two parents meet the principal. However, they still they didn’t take the list of demands from us.”

Meanwhile, refuting parents’ allegations regarding overcharging fee from students, Naresh Handa, assistant director of the school, said, “The parents’ claims that the school has increased the fee and is charging development fee and computer fee, along with the tuition fee, are completely false.”

“There is only 8% increase in fee as permitted by the law. We have the most genuine fee structure in Chandigarh and we give the best salaries to our staff as well,” added Handa.