Mysore/Mysuru: D. Devaraj Urs Backward Classes Development Corporation Chairman R. Raghu Kautilya has urged the Government to stipulate school fees based only on the expenses incurred by each school for maintenance.

In a letter to Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar, Raghu Kautilya, who  runs Kautilya Educational Institutions in the city, said that the maintenance charges of schools has reduced considerably as schools are running only online classes due to COVID crisis.

Noting that online classes are almost certain to continue in the new academic year too (2021-22), he said that the Government must factor in staff reduction, wages paid and other facilities, while determining the school fee.

Pointing out that the Government must apprise the Court on factuality, if  private schools move the Court questioning the Government’s regulation on school fees, Raghu said that one must accept that the maintenance cost of schools has come down drastically in the absence of physical classes. As such, it is the responsibility of school managements to reduce the burden of parents regarding school fees, he said.

Continuing, he said that it has come to his notice that several  schools have already collected fees in full (100 percent) from the parents even before the start of the new academic year (2021-22). 

Also, there are many examples where schools even after collection of full fees, are paying only half of the wages for teachers and other staff. 

The schools must not take advantage of the current COVID situation to make profits, he said and added that the Government must initiate suitable action against schools which are charging exorbitant fee even in this distress situation.

Calling for co-ordination between school managements and parents in these trying times, when COVID-19 pandemic is causing havoc across the globe, he said that parents must not stick on to their adamant stand that they will not pay fee. 

Likewise, the school managements too must be lenient and  not force parents to pay fees like in previous years, he opined.