West Bengal school students to pay full fees to join classes after March 2022, says Calcutta HC: Report

NEW DELHI: The Calcutta High Court has directed that West Bengal students will have to pay full tuition fees to sit in classes as 20% COVID-19 discount on school fees would end on March 15, 2022, the Times of India reported.

On October 13, 2020, the high court had directed schools to only charge 80% of school fees from students as schools turned to online classes due to pandemic and students were not required to visit schools, the report said.

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“With the Covid-19 pandemic showing signs of abatement, and with the resumption of substantial normal activities in the new-normal period, the time has come to assess how our order dated October 13, 2020, as modified from time to time, should be further adapted to suit the changed conditions,” Justices I P Mukherjee and Moushumi Bhattacharya were quoted as saying.

The court also reportedly remarked that before giving re-admission to students in March, schools should inform parents about an estimate of total fees to be charged by February 15, 2022.

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The court further directed schools to inform the mode of instruction, online or offline for which fees will be demanded, as per the report.

Considering the argument between parents and schools regarding non-payment of fees, the court reportedly directed that school fees must be paid a month before.

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The court has recognised that concession in school fees cannot be continued, and everybody has to adapt to the post-Covid scenario. After the cut-off date of March 15, schools will charge normal fees following the court’s directions. Schools will send the estimates of fees and other charges by February 15 so that parents have enough time to decide if their wards wish to continue with the same school or to admit them in another school,” an advocate for schools was quoted as saying.