HC asked Odisha govt to accept fee waiver slab for private schools

CUTTACK: In the absence of any law in Odisha to determine and fix the tuition fees of private schools, the high court on Thursday asked the state government to accept the reduced fee slab as proposed by a committee formed at the behest of the court.

A bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice B R Sarangi that individuals or parents associations still having objections to the proposed slab can approach the court afresh. The bench disposed of the main petition and ordered that no further hearing would be held in about half-a-dozen other petitions that had almost a common prayer.

The petitioners had sought judicial intervention for a reduction of fees in private schools during the lockdown period as the institutes were either completely closed or partially functioning with online classes since March 2020. As the legal tussle continued without a government modality to fix tuition fees of private institutes, the Odisha High Court last year had suggested that the state government form a joint committee with representatives from school and parents associations.

The joint committee had recommended a waiver of either tuition fees or composite fees under seven slabs and for the actual waiver of transport and food charges, if any.

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