Page 20 - EW May 2020 for Flipbuilder

Education News

often the Supreme Court, who seem to desist from collecting pupils’ tu-
unaware that first world education ition fees “until further orders”. Under
cannot be provided at third world a second DPI circular dated April 23,
prices. Therefore, despite private private school managements are ad-
school fees in India being lower than vised that they may collect fees for the
in private schools worldwide, Indian quarter April-June from “parents who
parents — who shun free-of-charge can afford”, through the online mode.
government schools like the Coro- Although the modified April 23
navirus — have little or no sense of circular has assuaged some indigna-
ownership of private schools into tion of managements of Karnataka’s
which they move heaven and earth 20,000 recognised private prima-
to admit their progeny. Hence the ry-secondary schools which host
myopic lack of empathy. 46 percent of the state’s 10 million
Meanwhile, in its letter protesting school-going children, there is still
the state government’s March 30 GR, considerable dissatisfaction with the
MESTA has proposed several amelio- second circular. For one, it directs
rative measures. Among them: collec- schools to collect tuition fees from
tion of monthly instead of quarterly parents who can afford to pay leaving
and half-yearly fees, and interest-free it to the discretion of parents.
loans for parents and educational in- “Parents who are economically
stitutions. sound and can pay the fees shall come
However, as we go to press the forward to remit the fees in instal-
state MVR coalition government ments, according to their capacity,” tuition fees.
has hardened its stand on the issue states a government order signed by S . “All schools know the socio-eco-
of parents paying their contracted S u re s h K u m a r, primary-secondary nomic profile of their parents quite
fees. In its latest (May 8) circular, it education minster of the state’s BJP well. Therefore, the question of af-
has prohibited private schools from government which was sworn into fordability should be a bilateral mat-
demanding fees for academic years office in controversial circumstances ter between school managements and
2019-20 and 2020-21 until the end last August. Moreover, the order fur- parents. As it is, most of our member
of the lockdown period. Moreover ther states that fees remitted by par- schools collect school fees monthly.
schools are prohibited from hiking ents should be utilised on a priority I’m sure school managements can
fees for the academic year 2020-21, basis to disburse salaries to teachers give parents who have been genuinely
and to collect fees for unutilised and support staff. hit by the national lockdown deferred
facilities, they must get the approval Secondly, to maintain clustering payment plans or waive the fee alto-
of PTAs (parent-teacher associa- and social distancing norms mandat- gether in some cases,” says Shashi
tions). Thus despite their commend- ed by the national lockdown following Kumar.
able switch to digital learning, hard outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, it hashi Kumar is especially out-
times are ahead for the state’s private has ordered online payment of tuition Sraged by the magnanimity of the
schools. And teachers who are likely fees. These hasty new directives have state government circular which gives
to suffer salary cuts, if not lay-offs. created a new set of problems for be- parents the option to pay contracted
Dipta Joshi (Mumbai) leaguered private schools. school fees at their discretion while
According to D . S h a s h i K u m a r, maintaining a conspicuous silence
KARNATAKA the energetic president of the Associ- on the matter of reimbursing the sum
Foolish populism ated Managements of Primary & Sec- of Rs.1,200 crore owing to private
ondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS,
schools which has been pending for
estb.1988) which has a membership three years. Under s.12 (1) (c) of the
IDESPREAD PROTESTS BY SCHOOL of 2,000, mainly affordable budget landmark Right of Children to Free
managements and an private schools statewide, barely 2-3 & Compulsory Education (aka RTE)
Wonline petition demand- percent of parents of KAMS member Act, 2009, all except minority primary
ing public support for private school schools have voluntarily “come for- schools are obliged to reserve 25 per-
teachers which attracted over 26,700 ward” to pay their contracted school cent of capacity in class I for children
signatures, has compelled the state fees. Even within this minority, a sub- from poor households in their neigh-
government to amend a March 30 stantial number complain that they bourhood and retain them until class
circular of the department of public don’t have the infrastructure and/or VIII. The state government is obliged
instruction (DPI) to private schools capability to make online payments of to reimburse part of the cost of edu-

20 EDUCATIONWORLD MAY 2020