Over 47,000 private schools in MP suspend online classes indefinitely

Nearly 45,000 schools are affiliated with the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) and 2800 come under the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

More than 47,000 private schools in Madhya Pradesh suspended online classes for an indefinite period on Monday to stress on their demands, including restoration of their recognition and resumption of physical classes for Classes 9 to 12, news agency PTI reported.

The schools are demanding waiving off of annual recognition fee in view of Covid-19 pandemic, and also resumption of offline classes.

The president of the MP Private School Association, Ajeet Singh, said that their decision to suspend classes indefinitely comes after they failed to get a response from the state government. There are nearly 45,000 private schools in Madhya Pradesh, which are affiliated to the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE), and 2,800 come under the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The MP Private School Association is the umbrella body of about 45,000 MPBSE-affiliated schools in the state, PTI reported.

Singh said that their primary demands were that authorities renew recognition certificates of already closed schools for five years, instead of one, and also cease inspecting these educational institutions. “Looking at the losses that we have incurred, the state government should not charge the annual school recognition fee during these testing times," he was quoted as saying by PTI.

Singh added that under the Right to Education (RTE) act, the state government provides education to the underprivileged children, and the government is “supposed to pay” for it; hence they should pay the dues pending with the schools, the PTI report added.

Meanwhile, the president of another private school association that has around 2800 CBSE-affiliated schools under its ambit confirmed that they have also suspended online classes from Monday onwards. “Among other things, we want resumption of physical classes for standards IX to XII immediately. When all other things have reopened, why are senior classes in schools not being allowed to re-open?" VR Modi asked, according to news agency PTI.

According to the PTI report, MP school education minister Inder Singh Parmar and education commissioner Jayashree Kiyawat couldn’t be reached for their comments over the issue.