Education
A New Petition Questions Punjab School Boards’ COVID-19 Fees Regulations
The petitioners question board’s direction of not reducing teacher’s salary while exempting school fees from all other charges except tuition fees.
Independent Schools’ Association Chandigarh has filed a petition against the State of Punjab’s new regulations for schools. The petition led by advocate Aashish Chopra contends that new directions for schools by the Punjab School Education Board are contradictory in nature and implausible. According to the education board’s latest notice, circulated on 14th May, the schools were directed to charge only tuition fees from the students and also not reduce the salary of the teachers, which according to petitioners isn’t plausible.
“All the private un-aided schools deposit funds under the head 'Reserved Fund' with the Punjab School Education Board, which amounts to Rs.77 Crores at present, and even with regard to running of the schools with minimum staff, sanitization is being done by the private schools,” he cited as he mentioned that the Govt. of Punjab has not come to help them on this side as well. The petition also argues on the fact of admission fees being stalled as this is a one-time fee.
The petition has been accepted by Ms. Anu Pal, Deputy Advocate General, Punjab, and on behalf of the official respondents. Although she seeks time to file an official reply, she has stated that “schools charge fee under the different heads and transportation charges are always separate and so, therefore, an alteration on the school fees cannot be made.”
Keeping in view the present circumstances, an interim direction has been given on the admission fees. The fee, which is paid one time by the parents, shall be paid in two equal instalments in six months and the 70% of the total school fee will be charged from the parents of the students and 70% salary will be paid to the teachers during the pendency of this writ petition.