Parents demand half fee for the month as schools reopen
By: Shayib Bhat VOV
Srinagar
Parents of various wards have appealed to the authorities that they should direct the school administration especially of the private schools, not to collect full fee for the month of March as the schools have reopened for the primary classes only from March 15.
Earlier also parents have expressed concern over the fee collection by the private schools of the students even as the schools are shut due to covid lockdown.
Parents have expressed their anger that the district authorities in all the districts of Kashmir valley have not taken any steps to stop these private schools from collecting such fees from the parents even as there was a complete economic slump in the entire Kashmir.
Meanwhile KNT has reported as following about the collection of fee in the current month of March
At a time when an odd-even plan has been enforced in schools in Kashmir Valley, parents demand relaxation in monthly school fee.
During the odd-even plan, a student is restricted from attending the school on daily basis. Though Deputy Commissioner Srinagar recently said that this plan is not permanent and will come to an end once Covid-19 cases will witness a dip, however, parents contest the claim saying Covid-19 cases are on rise and most probably there will be no respite from this pandemic in near future.
Parents are demanding that directions should be passed restricting school authorities from collecting full fee for the month.
“We all have suffered immensely and now we don’t want to be looted in the name of education. Why should we pay for the whole month when our children attend school for 2 weeks in a month?” questioned some parents.
They said their demand is justified and genuine while government should take a decision in this regard. “We deserve a breather now because we were forced to pay the fee for the lockdown period when our children didn’t attend the schools,” they said.
Describing the demand of the parents as genuine as death, Jammu Kashmir Apni Party senior leader, Rafi Ahmed Mir told Kashmir News Trust that government should come up with a regulation and direct schools to charge half fee from the students.
With inputs from KNT
