Page 16 - EducationWorld Feb 2021 Low

Education News

committees have also been government and small-scale
formed for fee-related issues industry employees who have
after several parents com- not suffered income loss during
plained of schools’ non-com- the pandemic, and are taking
pliance with the government advantage of the situation to
order. avoid paying duly contracted
The directive was issued fees. “Most of our member
following prolonged agitation schools have voluntarily cut
by several parents’ associa- fees by up to 30 percent for
tions demanding reduction of the current and forthcoming
tuition fees because of schools academic year. Despite this, 15-
being shuttered for over nine 20 percent of parents are still
months, and parents suffer- unwilling to pay their arrears,”
ing job losses and reduced says Kumar.
incomes during the pan- Fazal: unjust & unfair With an increasing number
demic lockdown. According to of children exiting dysfunc-
spokespersons of the state’s 20,500 tuition fees is certain to disrupt our tional government schools defined
private unaided schools, over 50-60 cash flows and plunge many schools by crumbling infrastructure, chronic
percent of parents have not paid into the red. Payment of fees is a teacher absenteeism, rock-bottom
their children’s fees for the past nine bilateral contract between parents learning outcomes and English
months and fees arrears owing to and schools. In these circumstances, teaching aversion, the financial
private schools have accumulated to the government’s one-size-cap-fits- viability of private schools — includ-
Rs.4,000-5,000 crore. all fees reduction order is unjust ing BPS — is in the public interest.
rivate school teachers have made and unfair,” says Nooraine Fazal, Therefore, irresponsible government
Pcommon cause with school man- promoter-director of the top-ranked interference with parents and private
agements because they have suffered Inventure Academy, Bengaluru and school contracts is certain to cause
salary cuts and losses due to unpaid leader of Right to Learn, a private great damage to the state’s flounder-
tuition fees. Earlier, a ‘Teachers schools coalition. ing K-12 education system.
Unite’ petition posted on the social On the other hand, B.N. Yoga- Amrita Ghosh (Bengaluru)
platform change.org, requested the nanda, general secretary of RTE
state education minister to reject a Students and Parents’ Associa- MADHYA PRADESH
proposal made by the Department of tion, says a large number of private
Public Instruction to reduce tuition schools are profiting by levying Merger proposal
fees by 30 percent to enable school full fees while providing online
managements to clear their teachers’ learning which is restricted by the debate
salary dues and arrears. The petition government to three-four hours per
also requested the state government day. “Elite schools are demanding he bjp government of the state
to provide financial assistance to full fees and threatening to expel is set to merge all government
private schools to enable them to children from online classes. This is Tschools situated within a 15 km
pay teacher salaries and for teacher profiteering and unacceptable. We radius of each other to reconstitute
training. are agreeable to paying full fees of them into composite K-12 schools.
“A large number of private unaid- small budget private schools (BPS) This proposal made under the chief
ed schools have invested heavily in with less than 250 students. How- minister’s Rise School programme
digital infrastructure and additional ever, schools which are charging launched last summer (May 2020),
teacher training to provide online full fees of Rs.15,000-25,000 per will reduce the number of government
classes to their students. Moreover month should accept the government schools in 224 development blocks
as per government directives, we mandated 30 percent tuition fees (out of a statewide total of 313) from
have continued to pay full salaries reduction,” says Yogananda. 34,997 to 15,961.
to our teachers, and staff including According to D. Shashi Kumar, The stated objective of the merger
bus drivers and attendants. In addi- general secretary, Associated Man- is that larger schools will derive the
tion, most schools have voluntarily agements of Primary and Second- benefits of economies of scale and will
reduced and in deserving cases, ary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS, be able to afford modern infrastruc-
waived children’s tuition fees. In the estb.1989), which has a member- ture including smart classrooms, bet-
circumstances the government order ship of 3,900 K-12 (BPS) schools, ter co-curricular and sports facilities
to collect only 70 percent of annual a large number of their parents are and vocational training enabling them

16 EDUCATIONWORLD FEBRUARY 2021