Show-cause notice issued: 2 Ludhiana schools ask parents to deposit fee amid lockdown

On March 23, the state education department had directed all private schools to reschedule the date of depositing fee as many parents would be unable to do the needful amid lockdown.

Two days after the director of public instructions (DPI, secondary) office served a show-cause notice to the management and principal of Delhi Public School in Jhammat village for asking parents to deposit their wards’ fee amid lockdown in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, the state education department on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to MGM Public School, Dugri, and Green Land Convent School, Subhash Nagar, for the same violation.

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The action was taken following a complaint by the parents to the state education department. The DPI office has asked the school authorities to submit a reply as to why the school’s no objection certificate (NOC) to run the school should not be cancelled as they have violated the orders of the education department.

On March 23, the state education department had directed all private schools to reschedule the date of depositing fee as many parents would be unable to do the needful amid lockdown.

The school authorities were further asked to abide by the orders or face disciplinary action.

Recently, state education minister Vijay Inder Singla had also instructed all private schools to not force parents to deposit their wards’ fee and reschedule the fee depositing dates.

District education officer (secondary) Swaranjit Kaur said the complaint was made by the parents directly to the state education department. “We were intimated by the department that these schools have violated government’s instructions, following which the show-cause notice was issued,” she said.

‘OUR MANAGEMENT HAS NOT ASKED PARENTS TO DEPOSIT FEE’

Rajesh Rudhra, director of Greenland Convent Schools, and president of Association of Private CBSE Schools in Punjab, said the show-cause notice that they have received from the state education department, does not carry their school names. “The show-cause notice has the name of Gurukul World School. Moreover, our management has not asked parents to deposit fee. Since April 1, many parents were approaching our staff, asking them about online modes to deposit the fee. So we sent them an online link for the same. We have sufficient funds to pay our staff their salaries amid lockdown,” Rudhra said, adding that the staff has been working hard to provide online study material for students at home.

On Tuesday, Jyoti Pujara, principal of Green Land Convent School, Subhash Nagar, also gave the clarification to the parents after the show-cause notice was issued. “Some parents were inquiring from us about depositing fee as students are being taught online. They were asking for the online link from the class teachers as the parents were interested in depositing the fee. So, we sent the link through the message for the interested parents only. Kindly don’t misunderstand. The school management is not compelling anyone to pay (the fee) right now. They can deposit (the fee) at their own perusal. Your cooperation is solicited,” read the message to the parents.

Meanwhile, Sunita Vij, principal of MGM Public School, Dugri, could not be reached for comments.