Uttarakhand high court, while hearing a PIL through video-conferencing on Tuesday, has directed Central government, Central Board of Secondary Education ( CBSE), Uttarakhand school education department and Uttarakhand School Education Board to file replies by May 12 on the issues raised in the PIL, especially regarding the allegations that schools were charging a hefty fee for online classes, said Ajay Veer Pundir, the counsel of the petitioner.
Pundir said the PIL has been filed by PIL Dehradun based on Japinder Singh. Pundir said the PIL has raised the issue that during lockdown period many schools were charging hefty fees from the parents regarding online classes. He said many families in the hilly areas even don’t have computers, smartphones, and proper internet connectivity.
Pundir said the PIL has also stressed that the state government should come with a detailed policy regarding holding classes for all school children on Doordarshan as most households have TV and can access the same even in remote hilly areas of the state where internet connectivity is poor.
“All the affiliated schools are organizing online complicated classes through online classrooms, which are only amenable to highly qualified parents, who are well equipped with all internet connectivity and special gadgets and computers etc. But most of the parents are neither well equipped with the aforesaid electronic gadgets and an internet connection, nor are well conversed with the computer and online classes, therefore, most of the students are not able to complete their studies in the new era of online classes conducted through online classrooms,” the PIL states.
The PIL alleged that most of the private schools situated in major cities of the state are charging huge fees from the “students/parents in the name of online classes during the lockdown period, despite the fact that every citizen is suffering great financial difficulties and is not able to earn anything for his /her day to day need”.
{{/usCountry}}The PIL alleged that most of the private schools situated in major cities of the state are charging huge fees from the “students/parents in the name of online classes during the lockdown period, despite the fact that every citizen is suffering great financial difficulties and is not able to earn anything for his /her day to day need”.
{{/usCountry}}“Although the government has issued several directions not to recover fees during the lockdown period, despite that fact, several institutes are mounting pressure upon the parents by sending e-mails and Whatsapp messages and by giving messages through SMS”, the PIL states.
The PIL has suggested that state government should start special classrooms through “Doordarshan Channel, Dehradun, which is in the reach of most of the residents of Uttarakhand, by fixing certain time slots with intimation to all concerned parents... and that method of study would be more reasonable and effective and there is no technical mechanism required for running of classes through Doordarshan ..”
To ensure every child in the state is connected to education and regular classes, the Uttarakhand education department is using community radio, internet, Whatsapp, and classes via television for studies amid the lockdown. After starting classes on Doordarshan for classes 9 to 12, the education department has also now decided to start starting regular classes through community radios for primary classes from May 5.