Pvt schools should rethink fee hike, quarterly payments: HRD minister

Faced with requests from troubled parents from across the country, Union minister of human resources development (HRD), Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, on Friday appealed

Faced with requests from troubled parents from across the country, Union minister of human resources development (HRD), Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, on Friday appealed to private schools to not hike fees or demand quarterly payments due to the ongoing pandemic.

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In social media posts, the HRD minister said he had been receiving complaints from various parts of the country that schools were not only hiking fees, but also asking parents to pay three months’ fee in one go.

Nishank appreciated that some states had already taken steps in this regard and said that he was sure that others too would follow suit.

Following the minister’s appeal the CBSE also wrote a letter to states seeking that the issue of fees be addressed to the satisfaction of stakeholders.

He, however, also added that schools should provide salaries to their teachers and staff. “Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, also has in this time of pandemic emphasised on giving priority to human values. In this context, I hope that all schools would be concerned about providing proper salaries to their teachers and other staff,” the HRD minister said.

“I hope all state education departments will find a balanced solution, keeping the interests of the students’ parents as well as the interests of the schools,” he said

HRD officials said that while they understood the parents’ concerns, schools have to pay their staff.

So far, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Punjab, among other states, have curbed fee hikes and asked schools to not insist on immediate payments.

In the higher education sector, the All India Council for Higher Education (AICTE) has told colleges under its purview not to pressure students into paying fees till the lockdown ends.

In an order issued on Wednesday, AICTE member Rajive Kumar said that it had come to the notice of the regulator that some institutions were insisting that students pay the fee, including admission charges. “Institutions should not insist on payment of fees till the ongoing lockdown is lifted and normalcy is restored,” the AICTE directive said.