Page 24 - EducationWorld November 2020

Education News

riod. Moreover, the court reserved its (the reduced) tuition
ruling on the remaining 30 percent fees, and set a profit
of fees payable for a later date. cap of “5 percent
However, the state government above expenditure”
appealed this judgment and a two for 2020-21. This
judge division bench court stayed the loss can be made
verdict of the single judge. Fur- up over the next
thermore, at the suggestion of the two years, if normal
state government, the court passed school functioning
an interim order restricting PSFR is resumed by then.
member schools to collecting 70 Any additional profit
percent tuition fees from class IX- should be passed on
XII students, exempting parents of by way of “general
pre-primary-class VIII children from concession or spe-
paying fees, even if their children Calcutta high court: 68-page judgement cial concession” in
are availing online education, until individual cases of
further orders of the court. WEST BENGAL extreme distress.
Most of our member schools are Apart from the common 20 percent
“paying monthly interest on land, Tuition fees slashed concession, parents can also apply for
construction and transport vehicle further fee reduction by furnishing au-
loans and/or rent for leased build- n october 13 judgement of the dited proof of financial distress. Such
ings. Moreover, all of them have Calcutta high court slashing applications should reach schools
invested heavily in digital equipment Atuition fees payable to private by November 15 and managements
and Internet connectivity to provide schools with retrospective effect from should communicate their decision
online learning to their students. April this year, has dismayed promot- by December 31, the court ruled. For
Against this, the state government’s ers and managements of West Ben- two months thereafter, no punitive ac-
directive is totally unmindful of the gal’s estimated 1,200 private schools, tion can be taken against any student
well-being of private schools which and 300 budget private schools in for non-payment of fees. If parents
have an enrolment of 5 million particular. With all schools shut down are unhappy with the decision of the
children and are providing employ- since mid-March in the wake of the school, they can appeal to a commit-
ment to 1.1 million teachers. The pandemic, sporadic parents groups tee comprising senior lawyer Tilok
state government’s indifference to and associations, whose members Bose and Priyanka Agarwal, the
the plight of private schools — espe- have suffered income and often em- petitioners’ lawyer. The court will hear
cially budget private schools — has ployment loss, have been agitating for the matter again on December 7.
imposed unprecedented financial tuition fee concessions and reduction. While the court’s order has cheered
stress on private school promoters In May, social activists Vineet parents of private schools, it has
and management. Already 14 school Ruia and Raja Satyajit Banerjee placed the latter, especially afford-
owners in Rajasthan have committed filed a PIL in the high court, naming ably priced budget private schools
suicide and thousands of teachers 145 private education institutions al- (BPS) struggling with teacher salaries
have been laid off. It is this unprec- legedly levying fees for services not and overheads, in a quandary. More-
edented situation that has prompted provided during the pandemic, and over, with sudden demand for high
our member schools to suspend barring students from online classes speed Internet connectivity and digi-
all online and offline classes,” says and online exams for failure to pay tal devices, BPS sited in tier II and III
Mridul Sisodia, a spokesperson of contracted fees. towns, unable to afford high tech apps
PSFR. In a 68-page order, a division bench such as Google classrooms and Zoom,
With children in Rajasthan’s of the court directed Bengal’s private are in deep trouble, and have issued
government schools deprived of aided and unaided schools — includ- pink slips to hundreds of teachers
all education because of under- ing minority institutions — to reduce adding to the number of 7.6 million
provision of Internet connectivity tuition fees paid or payable for the registered unemployed in the state.
and digital devices, now even private months of lockdown by 20 percent, Against this gloomy scenario for
school children are likely to lose the but parents must pay all arrears at re- BPS in particular, educationists in
minimal learning they have been get- duced rates by November 30. The di- the state are looking forward to im-
ting online, unless the fees deadlock vision bench of Sanjib Banerjee and plementation of a National Education
is promptly resolved. Moushumi Bhattacharya JJ also Policy 2020 proposal to appoint an
Vasudha Neelmani (Udaipur) clarified that the schools can levy only independent State Sector School Au-

24 EDUCATIONWORLD NOVEMBER 2020