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Private schools should rethink on hiking fees, demanding quarterly payements: HRD minister
HRD Minister appreciated that some states had already taken steps in this regard and said that he was sure that others too would follow suit.
Faced with requests from troubled parents from across the country, HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Friday appealed to private schools to not hike fees or demand quarterly payments as the world was going though a crisis.
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 of students to submit the amount for three months 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.
He, however, also added that schools should take care to provide salaries to their teachers and staff.
“Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi also has in this time of pandemic emphasized 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.
Nishank also appreciated the actions taken by some of the states in this regard.
HRD officials said while they understood the concern of the parents, the other aspect was that schools also had to pay salaries. Therefore, a balanced approach needs to be taken, in this regard.
Several states like Delhi, Uttarakhand and Punjab etc have reportedly taken steps to protect families from abrupt fee hikes or pressure to submit school fees.
Significantly, even 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 time the current lockdown continues.
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 should pay the fees including admission fees. “Institutions should not insist on payment of fees till the ongoing lockdown is lifted and normalcy is restored,” the AICTE directive said.
