In a press conference today, Delhi’s education minister Manish Sisodia announced that no schools in Delhi, whether public or private, can charge any fee from students for three months. However, an exemption has been given to the schools to charge a one-month tuition fee.
This announcement has come in the light of recent complaints from parents about the hike in the school fee. Many private schools are reportedly charging even the transportation fee amid the suspension of classes due to lockdown. In such a scenario, the Delhi government has released this statement informing all the schools that they cannot hike their school fee without permission from the Delhi government.
“It has come to my notice that many schools are taking fees arbitrarily and charging transportation fees even when schools are closed. Private schools should not stoop to this level. Be it private or government schools; they cannot hike fees. Schools irrespective of private or government, irrespective of whether they are on government land or not, will not hike fee without government’s permission,” Manish Sisodia said.
There have been instances, which have come to the notice of the Delhi government where many private schools are restricting students from attending online classes if their fee is due. Addressing the media, the minister said that schools could not restrict any student from attending online classes in case their parents fail to pay the fee.
Due to the lockdown, the government has been coming up with several economic relief measures, but education, being an important pillar of nation-building, needs more scrutiny and support.