No immediate relief to parents in Punjab from HC
Division bench, however, reiterates that schools can’t strike off the name of students who fail to pay the fee
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday refused to stay a single-judge order which allowed Punjab schools to collect tuition fee. The high court bench of chief justice RS Jha and justice Arun Palli, however, reiterated that schools can’t strike off the name of students, who fail to pay the fee.
The high court was hearing appeals filed by Punjab government and a section of parents challenging, June 30 order of a single-judge bench. Detailed order on Monday’s proceedings is awaited.
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday refused to stay a single-judge order which allowed Punjab schools to collect tuition fee. The high court bench of chief justice RS Jha and justice Arun Palli, however, reiterated that schools can’t strike off the name of students, who fail to pay the fee.
The high court was hearing appeals filed by Punjab government and a section of parents challenging, June 30 order of a single-judge bench. Detailed order on Monday’s proceedings is awaited.
The single-judge bench had allowed the schools to charge tuition fee, irrespective of whether they offer online classes or not during the lockdown imposed due to Covid-19 outbreak. However, it had restrained them from hiking the fee for 2020-21.
The court had also directed that no child will be deprived of attending school and online classes if fee is not deposited by the parent. However, the same is subject to the parent of such a child moving an application before the school on financial hardship. In case the parent is still aggrieved, he or she can approach a fee regulatory body against the school’s decision.
During the hearing on Monday, the bench reiterated the single-judge order stating that no student will be struck off the rolls of private schools in Punjab on account of non-payment of fee. The court also asked the state regulator to decide on applications of such parents expeditiously.
The hearing on the issue is likely to resume again in August. “The move (restraining schools from striking off names) comes as a relief for parents of students of private unaided schools who had expressed financial difficulty in paying fee for the lockdown period, and whose wards were consequently facing threat of being removed from the schools,” a Punjab government spokesman said.