Haryana prohibits private schools from hiking fee, asks to charge monthly tuition fee only

The Haryana government on Thursday said that till the time the lockdown continues, private schools in the state cannot charge parents anything other than the tuition

The Haryana government on Thursday said that till the time the lockdown continues, private schools in the state cannot charge parents anything other than the tuition fee. The government also prohibited private schools from hiking the tuition fees or introducing hidden charges in the fee, and asked the schools to to collect the tuition fee on a monthly basis.

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“Private schools should only collect monthly tuition fees. Payment of other funds such as building fund, maintenance fund, entrance fee, computer fee among other additional heads should be deferred in light of the unprecedented situation due to Covid-19,” stated the education department in a letter shared with district education officers across the state on Thursday. The department has also asked schools to not introduce any change in the uniforms and books.

The government order also stated that schools cannot take any punitive action against students for non-payment of fees. “Schools should abide by the rules and ensure that no student’s name is struck off the roll or students are deprived of online classes due to non-payment of fee,” stated the department. The department also said that parents could share their grievances as per Rule 158-A of Haryana School Education Rules, 2003, if schools were found not complying with the directive.

Pooja Mihani, a parent, said the order had brought relief to parents, and was an improvement over the previous orders. “The April 12 order said that schools could collect the monthly fee but it did not specifically mention tuition fee or anything about fees being charged under additional heads. The new order is definitely a source of relief, especially in the current financial situation where most people are facing pay cuts,” Mihani said.

While some parents welcomed the order, others have sought a concession in the fees in light of the lockdown. “Most people are facing salary cuts, business is also getting affected. In view of all this, a 50% concession in tuition fees should be given,” said Himanshu Sharma, a parent, who is also a member of a consortium of parents who had earlier written to the chief minister seeking relaxation in fee payment. Sharma also added that the government had not said anything about the annual fee.

Kailash Sharma, general secretary, Haryana Abhibhavak Ekta Manch, a parents’ body, said the government had only deferred the payment of fees, and schools would charge an exorbitant fee after the lockdown.

On the other hand, schools said they could face a fund crunch soon and are having trouble paying salaries.

Colonel (retired) KR Pratap Singh, president, Haryana Progressive School Conference, a consortium of private schools, said schools could come under financial strain if the deferment of complete fee payment continued for long. “While the administration is talking about a deferment of fees during the lockdown and not a waiver, schools will be badly affected if the transport charges are not collected on time as schools need to pay salaries of the employees engaged in running the buses. This fee deferment cannot be prolonged for too long,” said Singh. He added that some schools had failed to pay the complete salaries to employees due to financial hardships. “Schools might be able to manage till May with difficulty, but beyond June, they won’t be able to pay salaries to their staff which might pave way for retrenchment of employees such as drivers and conductors,” he said.