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Himachal high court bars Lawrence School, Sanawar, from charging additional fee for online classes
School ignored a digitally signed representation by 140 parents requesting the fee waiver; division bench directs the state education secretary and school headmaster to file a reply or instructions before the next date of hearing on July 20
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh high court has restrained the Lawrence School at Sanawar in Kasauli hills, which boasts of alumni like Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, from receiving additional fee for holding virtual classes owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A division bench of justices Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Jyotsna Rewal Dua directed the state education secretary and the school headmaster to file a reply or instructions before the next date of hearing on July 20.
In a one-page order on Tuesday, the court restrained the school from receiving the balance amount of fee of Rs 1,70,800.
The court passed the order on the petition of Deepak Gupta, who moved the court on July 7. His son is in Class 8 of the boarding school located in Solan district.
“Sending a child to boarding is a big decision, which is always taken by parents for the betterment of the child’s future so that he could become physically and mentally strong,” the petitioner said.
He said the school demanded a total fee of Rs 6,36,200 in January as it was payable in two instalments. The first instalment was of Rs 4,01,700 and was paid before February 15.
The second instalment of Rs 2,34,500 was to be paid on or before July 15.
He said the school opened on February 15 and the child was taken home on March 17 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The petitioner said that on May 27, the state higher education department directed private schools not to charge any fee, except tuition fee, and the tuition fee could not be collected on a quarterly basis.
Nearly 140 parents sent a digitally signed representation requesting the school for waiving the school fee.
Ignoring the parents’ request, the school on July 3 demanded Rs 1,70,800, instead of Rs 2,34,500 from the parents, reducing the fee merely by 11% (Rs 63,700).
The school started online classes on April 6, comprising four sections of 120 students at one go compared to regular classes of 20 to 30 students.
Moreover, the petition says, there are no extracurricular activities along with no board and lodging facilities extended to the students amid the lockdown.
The residential Lawrence School also boasts of alumni lsuch as former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
