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Parents unhappy about delay in education department’s fee waiver notification
As per the GR regarding fee waiver issued on August 12, parents who have paid the full fee should either get a reimbursement or the excess amount should be adjusted in the next year. Parents can also file complaints with the divisional fee regulatory authority in case schools do not comply
PUNE: The education department on Wednesday issued a notification that the government resolution (GR) dated August 12 about the 15% fee waiver for the academic year 2021-22 should be strictly implemented. While parents have been waiting for the implementation of the fee waiver first announced in the GR issued by the state government on August 12, members of the schools’ association said that it is not mandatory for all schools to give the waiver.
D G Jagtap, director of the secondary and higher secondary education department, issued the notification. “All officials are directed to implement the fee waiver for schools and educational institutions in their respective area as per the GR issued by the state government,” he said.
As per the GR issued on August 12, parents who have paid the full fee should either get a reimbursement or the excess amount should be adjusted in the next year. Parents can also file complaints with the divisional fee regulatory authority in case schools do not comply.
Parents are unhappy about the delay in issuing the notification. Jayshree Deshpande, Pune division president of the All India Parents, Students and Teachers Association, said, “The education department has delayed the notification for schools which is causing a lot of distress to parents. Due to the pandemic, parents have lost their jobs and fee waiver is important for many families. However, the delay reflects that officials are not taking the parents’ grievances seriously. Due to partial or non-payment of fees, many schools are denying online education to students, leading to learning loss for them.”
Meanwhile, the schools’ association said that the matter is in court and no action can be taken against schools that are not implementing the fee waiver.
Rajendra Singh, working president of Independent English School Association (IESA), Maharashtra, stressed that it is not compulsory for all schools to give the waiver. “We as an association and our members have approached the court in this regard. As of now, no coercive action can be taken against schools that are not giving the 15% fee waiver for this academic year. As the matter is in court, whatever the judgment of the honourable high court will be accepted by us. Meanwhile, these letters will not be applicable to us as the matter is subjudice,” Singh said.
