Private unaided schools have urged the State government to release the dues under the Right to Education Act, 2009.
B.E. Shivarame Gowda, president, Hassan Unaided Schools’ Management Association, at a press conference in Hassan on Tuesday, said the State government owed more than ₹1,400 crore to private schools that provided education for poor students under the RTE. The government had not cleared the dues for the last two years. Each school should get from ₹5 lakh to ₹50 lakh, depending on the strength.
In Hassan district alone, the total due would be more than ₹10 crore a year. “If this amount is released immediately, the managements can pay salaries to employees. There are about 20,000 private schools in the State offering education to 46 lakh children. This sector had given jobs to more than 2.5 lakh people. The State government should give due attention to this sector,” he said.
Online classes
Mr. Gowda said the association had taken a decision against conducting online classes for students from Class 1 to 7. The State government had asked the schools to conduct online classes for students appearing for SSLC, he said. Tara Swamy, vice president of the association, said online classes could not be an alternative to conventional teaching. They could serve as a temporary measure. “Online teaching cannot be effective as it would involve network issues. We cannot expect every student to have a laptop,” she stressed.
The association also demanded the State government announce ₹1,000 crore as a loan to private institutions without interest for their survival.
Association secretary B.K. Gangadhar and Rafeek, an office-bearer, were present at the press conference.
