BENGALURU: Parents of schoolchildren, who had been protesting over the fee issue, have now decided to withdraw their stir after Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar announced a 30 percent cut in tuition fees. They are now pinning their hopes on the government order translating into reality and being enforced in CBSE and ICSE schools too.
Minister Suresh Kumar has said that nodal officers will be appointed to resolve any misgivings between school administrators and parents over the issue of fees. Some of the parents told The New Indian Express that their wards were denied access to online classes even after paying part of the fees.
In some cases, parents have even received emails about the schools’ unwillingness to comply with the government order. In certain cases, schools are said to have taken an undertaking that the parents will pay the entire fees if the government order is revoked.
Ramesh, whose child is a student of a private unaided school in Yelahanka, says his ward’s access to online classes has remained snapped since September as he had not paid the full fee. The apathy of the Education department only makes it worse, he added.
Another parent said that when the school was contacted about the government circular, they claimed to have not received it yet. The parent said they had paid the first term, fee including transport fee.
On the other hand, a private school had communicated to a parent claiming that the government order on fee cut was applicable only for government and aided schools and that it had even been stayed by the high court. However, a top department official denied that there was any stay.
Meanwhile, the Recognised Unaided Private Schools Association (RUPSA), while showing solidarity with the government’s decision on fee cut, demanded that the budgetary allocation of Rs 1,500 crore for education should be fully utilised. The president of the Managements of Independent CBSE Schools Association (MICSA), M Srinivasan, said they are discussing the government order and their response will be decided on Monday.