Gautam Budh Nagar asks schools not to ask for fees during lockdown

Yatendra Kasana, the president of Noida parents’ association, welcomed the directive to schools. “We have raised this demand with the district administration that at the time of the crisis, parents must be given some exemption from paying the fees for the first quarter of the present academic session.

Taking serious note of parents’ concerns about receiving notices asking for the payment of fees from schools and colleges during the lockdown due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the Gautam Budh Nagar district administration has ordered institutes not to ask for fees in this three-week period.

“If any school is found compelling the guardians for fees during the lockdown period, they will either have to face one-year imprisonment or pay monetary fine or both...,” district magistrate Suhas LY said. (HT file photo)

“If any school is found compelling the guardians for fees during the lockdown period, they will either have to face one-year imprisonment or pay monetary fine or both...,” district magistrate Suhas LY said. In some cases, the punishment could be two years’ imprisonment.

Gautam Budh Nagar, which houses Noida, earlier also asked landlords in the district not to compel tenants, especially the poor, to pay their monthly rents or vacate the premises if they fail to make payment.

Yatendra Kasana, the president of Noida parents’ association, welcomed the directive to schools. “We have raised this demand with the district administration that at the time of the crisis, parents must be given some exemption from paying the fees for the first quarter of the present academic session. It is really a big relief as the schools are asking for fees, with exorbitant increase beyond the permissible limit of 8%. This order will certainly bring relief to thousands of people who are facing a financial crisis due to Covid-19 outbreak,” he said.

Kasana added that this order will give a respite to all those parents who were apprehensive about getting permission for online classes run by the institutes during the lockdown.