Lockdown 2: Telangana govt bars schools from hiking fees, warns de-recognition and legal action

NEW DELHI: The Telangana government has directed all private schools in the state not to increase fees for the 2020-21 academic year.

The state government warned them of de-recognition and legal action in case they violated the directive.

The state’s special secretary Chitra Ramachandran told the Indian Express that the government order applies to all private unaided recognized schools in the state.

It will apply to schools affiliated to the state board, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), and other international boards.

Chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had said on April 19 that the government has barred the schools from hiking the fees.

The Indian Express reported that the schools have been instructed “to charge only tuition fees every month until further orders”.

Schools and parents have welcomed the move. Hyderabad Schools Parents Association (HSPA) told Times of India: “We are extremely grateful that the state has made this decision. However, we are a little worried about the implementation part as private schools are known to defy government orders.”

The parents association also said it needs a clarification on the school fee that has already been collected. “More than half of the schools have already collected the fee. Some schools have communicated with parents that the excess fee collected will be adjusted in fee for later months,” an HSPA spokesperson told the Indian Express .

The commissioner for school education has also issued directions for setting up a call centre for redressing grievances of students and parents. The call centre will work between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on all working days, Indian Express reported.

The Government is yet to come up with a comprehensive policy on school fee regulation as ordered by the High Court of Telangana.

The issue of school fee is being debated across the country. The state governments in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Kerala have asked school authorities not to put pressure on the parents to pay fees during the lockdown period.

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