On Friday, the Karnataka State Education Minister S Suresh Kumar announced that the private schools in the state will be allowed to collect only 70% tuition fees for this academic year considering the covid-19 pandemic. While the government directive brought in a huge sigh of relief for the parents of children studying in private schools, several school administrations have expressed their displeasure with the government order. Two school associations stated that they would move the court to challenge the government order legally.
The reduction in fee is applicable only for the current academic year and applies to schools under all boards. Under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 and based on the Karnataka Education Act 1983, the state government has the authority to prescribe fees. The government order said that the annual tuition fee that cannot be collected this year includes donations to trust or society, development fees, optional services like transportation and extracurricular activities.
In case the parents have already paid the full year’s fee, school managements will have to refund the excess amount or adjust it against the next year’s dues. Further, parents would be given an option to pay the fees in 2-3 installments. The Education Minister said that the decision was taken after several meetings with school managements and parents’ associations and post discussing the issue with the Chief Minister.
At the beginning of the academic year, the government had asked schools not to increase tuition fees this year. Subsequently, parents had complained that the schools were pushing them to pay full year’s fees upfront, and classes were blocked for students who had not paid. Schools had argued then that the money was needed for running the establishment and paying staff salaries. The parents’ associations thanked the education minister for the fee reduction, however, at the same time expressed that they expected a 50% waiver in tuition fees.
Schools, which held only online classes till December and started campus learning on January 1 for classes 10 and 12, did not react to the order positively and have decided to challenge the state government’s order in court.
Nooraine Fazal of Right to School (a coalition of schools across central and international boards) said: “We are shell-shocked by the government’s decision. Will the government cut school costs by 30% or will it refund 30% of our taxes?” She further added that the schools have already supported parents with 100% fee waivers and questioned whether this action helps Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of achieving education for all by 2030.
Fazal alleged the state government of doing little to achieve continuity of education for children especially the lesser privileged sections of the society: Meanwhile, several school managements have decided to obtain a signed declaration from the parents promising to pay the whole amount in case the government order is withdrawn. Many parents had pulled their wards out of private schools due to financial crisis and admitted to government schools. With fee reduction, a number of them are enrolling their children back in private schools.
