SAD asks state govt to pay students’ 6-month fee

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), on Wednesday, asked the Punjab government to pay private school managements the tuition and admission fee of all children whose parents’

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), on Wednesday, asked the Punjab government to pay private school managements the tuition and admission fee of all children whose parents’ financial status has been adversely affected by the Covid-19 lockdown for a six-month period from April to September this year.

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In a statement, former minister Bikram Singh Majithia said it is condemnable that the Congress government and state education minister Vijay Inder Singla have surrendered before the private school managements and even submitted in the Punjab and Haryana high court that private schools had the right to fix fee.

“If the state has lost the case in the high court it is a direct result of collusion with private school managements. The state did not contest the case properly and failed to inform the court that the school managements could take moratoriums on loans taken by them and does not have to victimise the parents for the same.”

Holding Singla directly responsible for the failure, he said it is apparent that Singla came under pressure of private school managements. “This is the reason why the Punjab government has failed to win any relief for parents while high courts of Uttarakhand, Delhi and Kerala have given relief to parents,” he said.

“In such a situation, a direct compensation is needed to save the future of affected students. Government should give tuition and admission fee on behalf of these children for six months including the three-month period of lockdown and another three months during which schools are likely to remain shut,” he added.

He said that if no assurance is forthcoming on this account, SAD will launch an agitation in support of parents from YPS, Patiala.