Coronavirus: Parents want fee waiver during lockdown

In the wake of crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic, parents are waiting for government to provide some respite to them by waiving school fees. However, schools reasoned that the classes were already being taken online and there was a need to pay salaries to teachers. Adding to the woes are several charges levied by schools including transport and miscellaneous activities including swimming and horse riding, which are not actually being conducted due to lockdown. On the other hand, parents in neighbouring Gurgaon and Noida have got some respite in this regard. On Sunday, Noida administration ordered that no educational institution across Noida and Greater Noida can force parents of any student for fees during the COVID-19 lockdown or bar pupils from attending online classes.

Similarly, the Haryana government had last week ordered that all fee collection activities be suspended by schools till the lockdown is over. According to a parent, he has been asked to pay Rs 10,000 each for the bus fees for his two kids. He said it was unfair to charge the amount at a time when the buses were not being used at all by the children. Urging for a moratorium on school fee collection, the Delhi Parents Association has also written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

However, private schools believe that the period is not a holiday period and the staff is working as much as they would have in schools. Nonetheless, parents argue that big schools can use the excess amount for such sensitive times and provide relief to parents. A parent opined that the government could offer relief in different slabs, there can be different criteria for different schools including high end, medium-range, and budget schools.

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