Parents of school kids vent at having to pay fees during lockdown, schools say this is how we pay teachers
It’s the month when the Khans pay their son’s quarterly school fees. In fact, the sum, running into a few thousand rupees, was due on April 15, as per this CBSE-affiliated school’s “internet news”.
“Nobody has told us not to pay, but we’ve decided to wait till the school sends out a formal letter asking that parents should pay the fees,” says the mother, adding that it’s been an online mode of payment at the school for a long time now.
In contrast, it’s less ambiguous among some private schools in the state who issued letters—in some cases just days before the lockdown was announced—where parents have not just been told to pay, the fees have also been hiked.
“It’s insensitive,” says a mother. “There’s a lockdown, the economy is in a slump, people are losing their jobs or have been forced to take pay cuts and instead of being accommodating to the situation they’ve hiked the fees. While people like us can afford to pay, what about those who can’t?”
Another parent, explaining that the hike has been justified by the school’s management as required since new teachers have been hired, says it’s still unfair given the pandemic and its toll on family incomes. “We’re not saying we don’t want to pay or that we’ll pay later, we’re saying we’ll pay the existing fees now, just stave off the hike for a few months more till we know how we stand economically after this pandemic ends.”
The principal of the school, which began operations in 2018, in an email response, explained that this is the first fee hike, there was none last year, and the increase is between 7.7% and 10%.
Apart from “recruiting 10 new teachers for the coming year from within and outside Goa”, he wrote, “We would not be able to go another year without this moderate increase especially because all staff (including support staff) got their increments last year despite no increase in fee. And we have not laid off any staff (and that includes ancillary staff) and have paid full salaries all through the lockdown. We will pay even during the holiday period (we have our vacation next month).”
He further stated, “Parents have always had the option to pay in monthly instalments.”
So, why this dilemma in an exercise that is part of normal family expense planning that even accommodates a yearly increase, provided it’s small?
A parent explains that it’s because educational institutes were the first to be shut down before any lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19 and with the uncertainty of when the new academic year will start it’s led to a question of whether paying of school fees in the interim is necessary at all.
“It is necessary,” says the mother of two, “Because for the school the parent is essentially booking a seat in the next class for their child/children. If parents don’t pay, the school considers that the parent is looking for another school for the child and will then release those seats as being available for newcomers.”
The principal of an unaided private school explains that parents are given the option to pay fees in a staggered manner—quarterly, trimester-wise, annually—but it is important that these fees are paid because that’s the source through which school staff, including teachers, are paid and maintenance and expansion works are carried out. “Besides our teachers are still working, taking online classes, etc,” she says.
It’s a catch-22 situation, says an official on condition of anonymity. While the education directorate does govern schools in the state, the fees of private schools are decided by their individual managements because they are unaided. “So it really depends on how the managements step into the process to show their solidarity with parents in these times.”
The principal of an aided school explains that the monetary aid they receive from the government is towards staff salaries and building maintenance and they aren’t allowed to charge extra for uniforms, books, etc, which are sourced by students themselves.
He adds that since there has been no circular yet from the government to the otherwise, fees as of now will be accepted by aided schools only when the new academic year begins, which, at the moment, is still slotted for its annual June appearance.
