Schools under the Central Board of Secondary Education in the district have started preparing for the new academic year anticipating that classes will continue to be held online amidst the worsening pandemic crisis.
Managements have asked parents to remit the first instalment of fee before the second week of May. Textbooks and notebooks, which were earlier planned to be distributed from schools, will have to be purchased either online or from book shops suggested by schools as part of their agreement with vendors.
The Principal of a city school said that only tuition fee was being collected as the chances of offline classes starting in the first week of June were remote in view of the health crisis. “We have asked teachers and students to get ready for online sessions in the new academic year. Last year, we had collected bus and lab fee without realising that the country will face a prolonged lockdown. It was refunded later,” she said.
However, parents are worried about the collection of textbooks and notebooks from book shops recommended by managements. “It would have been better if the authorities had arranged vendors who could deliver online or give us the option to download textbooks online as visits to book shops would expose us to the pandemic threat,” they said.
Some of the managements have made arrangements where a time slot would be given to parents to buy books from a common collection point or depot. This would avoid overcrowding and rush for textbooks, especially amidst reports that the pandemic situation may turn worse in the next two weeks.
A section of the parents echoed their opposition against a directive by some schools that students should attend online sessions wearing school uniforms. Many students would have to buy new sets of uniform going by this instruction adding to the already strained monthly budgets owing to the pandemic crisis, they said.
