Private schools can now collect fees in Chandigarh

The new order says that a school must consider if any parent is unable to deposit the fee on time, and ‘neither the name of any student is to be struck off, nor is the student to be deprived of online teaching on this account, during lockdown period’

Days after the meeting with the Independent Schools Association (ISA), the Chandigarh education department, on Tuesday, gave the go-ahead to private schools in the city to collect monthly fees from parents.

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The Chandigarh education department’s permission for fee collection comes despite the fact that more than 60 Chandigarh schools have not uploaded the mandatory balance sheets online.

Prior to this, the education department had directed all recognised private unaided schools to reschedule the last date for depositing fees and funds for the 2020-21 session. They were asked to fix the last date at least a month in advance after reopening of school, so as not to inconvenience parents. They were also told they could not charge for late fees.

However, it came to notice that despite the directive, many schools demanded fees from parents. Following this, the education department invoked the Punjab Fees Regulation Act, 2016, and ordered schools to upload their balance sheets online.

Furthermore, ISA and seven other petitioners (schools) challenged the UT’s directive on fee deferment in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In compliance with orders of the HC, a hearing was granted by education secretary Arun Kumar Gupta to private schools, following which Tuesday’s orders were issued.

The orders make it binding on schools, that they will “neither stop payment of monthly salary nor reduce the existing total emolument of teaching and non-teaching staff.”

It also says that, if any parent is unable to deposit the fee on time, the school concerned will consider their request on a case to case basis. “However, neither the name of any student is to be struck off, nor is the student to be deprived of online teaching on this account, during lockdown period,” reads the order.

HS Mamik, chairman of ISA, said, “Already, payment of fees for two months is pending, which parents need to pay, after which we will begin charging monthly fees.”

President Chandigarh Parents’ Association Nitin Goyal said, “Schools are now demanding full hiked fees from parents who have suffered massive financial losses. Not only has the administration not taken any action against defaulting schools for not uploading their balance sheets, but have even provided them extensions and leverages.”

“Where is the respite to the middle class in today’s order? We have again ended up as victims,” he said.

Commenting on non-compliance of the balance sheet order by schools, Rubinderjit Singh Brar, director of school education, said, “We will issue show cause notices next week because it involves many schools and we have to recheck details of each school.”

BOX

1. Only monthly tuition fees can be collected by 15th day of every month from June 2020 onward

2. The fees for April and May is to be collected by May 31, 2020

3. No late fee is to be charged up to May 31, 2020

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