PROBE AGAINST SCHOOLS ON, PUNJAB TELLS HIGH COURT

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government has told court that allegations against some schools that they levied other charges, besides tuition fee, during covid-19 outbreak are being probed.

Director Public Instructions (secondary education), Punjab, Sukhjeet Pal Singh told the high court in an affidavit that some parents had attached fee receipts of some schools in an application before the high court alleging that they collected other charges too.

Acting on it, the department has directed all district education officers concerned to inquire into the matter and submit report within three days.

“..Thereafter, if on the basis of report, the private school concerned is found at fault for the violation of the orders of the high court and government rules/ instructions, proceedings for cancellation of NOC (no objection certificate) or any other strict action as per rules will be initiated against the said school,” the court was told.

In June last year, the high court had allowed private schools in Punjab to collect tuition fee, but restrained them from revising the fee structure and collecting other charges. Schools were also barred from depriving or attending school and online classes if fee was not paid.

Similar conditions were imposed subsequently in the case of Haryana too.

The court’s direction had come on the pleas from schools in which they had challenged government restrictions on collection of fee in view of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Various parents’ bodies too had become party to the case, now pending before a division bench of the high court.

The state’s response has come to an application filed in February by some parents who had approached the high court alleging that some schools indulged in charging of more fee than allowed to by high court and had demanded action against such schools. The matter now stands adjourned for March 19.