Parents protest outside Mohali school for charging fee

The school principal said the Punjab and Haryana high court has already made the decision that schools can charge fees

Several parents on Friday held a protest outside Lawerance Public Senior Secondary School in Sector 51 against the school’s decision to charge fees despite classes being suspended amid the Covid-19 lockdown.

Parents protesting outside Lawerance Public Senior Secondary School in Sector 51, Mohali, on Friday. (Gurminder Singh/HT)

The parents raised slogans against the school management for demanding fee for the last four months. They said that the matter was in the high court and the school management was unduly harassing parents by threatening to remove their wards from the school rolls.

The school management had asked protestors to send a delegation of four members so that talks can be held in this regard but protestors refused. The school management had also informed the police who arrived at the spot.

One of the parents, Gagandeep Singh, said the school principal had sent them a notice to either deposit the fee or their children would be removed from the school rolls.

He added they are already stressed due to not receiving salaries during the lockdown period while some parents had even lost their jobs.

Principal Veena Malhotra said the Punjab and Haryana high court has already made the decision that schools can charge fees.

She said schools have to pay salaries to teachers and other employees and if parents don’t pay the fee, they will be forced to close down the school.