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Bengal schools hike fees, colleges stop paying part- time lecturers amid coronavirus crisis
Though the government did not name any institution, Jain said in his letter that the fees have been hiked despite an appeal from education minister Partha Chatterjee not to do so and treat with sympathy cases of non-payment of fees by any parent during the lockdown.
Amid lockdown in West Bengal a number of private and unaided schools affiliated to various boards have hiked fees while some colleges have stopped giving monthly remuneration to part-time lecturers, forcing the government to take exception.
“The state government is doing its level best to contain the spread of Covid-19 as well as protect the well-being of citizens by way of a number of measures like waiving of various fees, deferment of paying licence fees/taxes…It is unfortunate to note that many private and unaided schools affiliated to various boards have not only increased the fees during the current academic year but also pressing the parents/guardian to deposit the same during this lockdown period,” Manish Jain, principal secretary, state education department wrote to the heads of various schools on Friday.
Though the government did not name any institution, Jain said in his letter that the fees have been hiked despite an appeal from education minister Partha Chatterjee not to do so and treat with sympathy cases of non-payment of fees by any parent during the lockdown.
“However, it has been reported that a few schools have not yet given a positive response so far. The matter has been seriously viewed by the state government,” Jain wrote to the schools and advised the schools to “restrain from enhancing school fees during the current academic year.”
Significantly, a number of part-time lecturers in different colleges have alleged that they did not receive their remuneration for the month of March (due in April) and the college authorities told them that the payments were not made because no classes were held during the lockdown.
Part time lecturers are employed on contract, usually to make up for posts of permanent lecturers that are lying vacant, and paid a fixed amount. These lecturers were appointed by college management committees and not the state government.
On Saturday, state education minister Partha Chatterjee said, “It has come to our notice that some colleges who had appointed part-time lecturers on their own have stopped paying them. We have received several complaints. We are telling the colleges not to stop payment of remuneration until the government announces some measures.”
The education department will also give these instructions in writing, said Chatterjee.
“I did not receive this month’s payment. When I inquired, the college authorities said no part-time lecturer is being given remuneration because only a few classes were held in March and the college will be closed in April,” said a part-time lecturer in physics who teaches in a college in North 24-Parganas district.
No college authority could be contacted for comments.
