COVID-19 orders violated: Assam and Uttarakhand schools get flagged

NEW DELHI: Private schools found raising fees or withholding salaries from teachers in Assam and Uttarakhand have been served notices by the state governments.

The Assam Government has directed the educational institutions to not hike the school fee and waive off 50 percent fee for pre-primary to Class 12 for the month of April during the lockdown situation.

Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the fee already collected should be adjusted against the succeeding month fee, Hindustan Times reported.

He directed the educational institutions to not increase the school fee, nor to curtail the salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff during the lockdown period.

“The income of all citizens has been severely affected and this is a step to help people to tide over the crisis”, Sarma said at a press conference.

In a meeting between the state education department fee committee and the school representatives, the schools have agreed to the given instructions.

The education minister said: “If schools remain closed till May 30, then there will be a loss of 52 days which can be managed by having full classes on Saturdays, keeping schools opened and reducing the number of declared holidays,” Hindustan Times reported.

He added that the education department will make a contingency plan in case the schools have to remain closed beyond May 30.

The schools have been closed since March 16 in Assam.

Uttarakhand Government has issued notices to 10 schools in Dehradun for not paying salaries to the teachers and staff for March.

Responding to a complaint about employees’ salary deduction for March 22-31 for contribution to chief minister’s relief fund, Asha Rani Painuly, chief education officer of Dehradun district said: “A complaint was received regarding the deduction of salaries of employees of certain private schools,” Hindustan Times reported.

The government has directed the schools to release the salary of the employees and to act according to the norms of the lockdown.

On April 21, state education minister Arvind Pandey had ordered the private schools in the state to not increase their school fees for the 2020-21 academic session.

Also read:

• COVID lockdown: Parents worry over school fee, authorities yet to act
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak: Latest Updates

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