Payment of fees: Private schools to continue holding online classes

Private schools affiliated to the State board, who had threatened to stop online classes from November 30 for students who have not paid fees, have decided to extend the deadline. They will continue the online classes till December 15.

D. Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said they would wait for the State government to address their concerns. The school managements want the government to issue orders to allow them to collect the second-term fees. “We want the government to send a stern message that parents should pay the fees for the current academic year,” he said.

Private school managements claim they are unable to pay teachers their salaries as less than 30% of the parents have paid the fees. Some managements have alleged non-payment of fees for the earlier term as well.

However, parents say that schools should show some leniency and extend the deadline as many people have lost their jobs or are struggling with reduced incomes after salary cuts. Some parents have argued that the cost of running a school and that of merely conducting online classes is not the same, and thus school managements should reduce their fees.