Don’t charge tuition, bus fee till classes resume: Jharkhand HRD minister to private schools

Private schools say they would have to think on it, as teachers’ salaries come from tuition fees of students.

Jharkhand human resource development minister (HRD) Jagarnath Mahto on Sunday asked private schools of the state not to take tuition and transportation fees from parents till normal class works in schools resume, as many parents are struggling to cope with the current crisis occurred due to spread of COVID-19 in the country.

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“I have asked the schools to exempt tuition and transportation fees, until the lockdown period gets over and normal class works in schools resume. The school should take this decision on humanitarian ground,” the HRD minister said.

He said some states have issued order in this regard. “I have sought the orders from these states. After studying them, an order in this regard will be issued soon in the state,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced nation-wide 21-day lockdown effective from March 24 midnight. Jharkhand government, however, had imposed state-wide lockdown to check the spread of highly infectious Corona virus from midnight of March 22.

Private school authorities say they would have to think on it, as teachers’ salaries come from tuition fees of students.

When principal of Guru Nanak Public School (GNPS), Ranchi, Manohar Lal was contacted, he said they would think on the issue after re-opening of the school. “We will discuss it with management. Since teachers get salaries from the tuition fees ofstudents, we have to think on it comprehensively,” he said.

Jharkhand State Educational Research and Training (JSERT) has recently decided to promote all the students studying in government schools from class-5 to class-7 to higher classes without any examinations.

The examinations for these classes were scheduled from March 30, which has been suspended. More than 15 lakh students from class-5 to class-7 would be benefitted from the decision of JSERT.

Jharkhand government also asked to ensure that students should not be deprived of benefit of mid-day meal during the lockdown period. The rice prescribed under mid-day manual should be delivered at doorsteps of the students.

However, teachers are finding it difficult to implement it. “We have to distribute rice allotted for March 17 to March 31 and April 1 to April 14 among students. A primary student (class-1 to class-5) will get 2-kg of rice, while students ofclass-6 to class-8 will get 3-kg of rice during this period,” said Sanjay Dubey, member of Ekikrti Para Sikshak Sangharsh Morcha (EPSSM).

He said it was a risky task. “If we call the students to school, it will be violation of lockdown. We are ready to go door to door for the task. But, we need safety gear, as we have to move village to village and door to door for the task. When we visit any village, villagers do not allow us at the time of lockdown,” he said.

EOM