Edu min orders probe over complaints about increased tuition fee
JAMSHEDPUR: Jharkhand education minister Jagarnath Mahato on Sunday ordered all the district education officers to investigate and take appropriate action over complaints by students’ parents regarding noncompliance of government order of charging only tuition fee, facility of online classes to all and no coercion during Covid-19 lockdown period.
The minister said the state education department was also verifying that if Delhi Public School (DPS) in Chas (Bokaro) has struck off or disallowed any student from attending online classes over non-payment of school fees.
Mahato himself had to deposit Rs 22,800 (Rs 3800 per month) as school fees for the period of April to September at DPS Chas on Saturday after the name of his own granddaughter was allegedly struck off from the list of students for online classes, triggering a controversy across the state. His granddaughter studies in class four at the DPS branch.
“I had gone to DPS-Chas, as there were allegations that the school management was charging more than the tuition fees. I deposited my granddaughter’s fees. The school authorities denied that my granddaughter’s name was removed from the list of students for online classes for non-payment of fees. But, I have asked district DEO Neelam Ileen Toppo to investigate the matter,” Mahato said.
While refuting the allegations, DPS-Chas principal-in-charge Shailja Jaikumar said the minister’s granddaughter’s name was not removed from the list of students for online classes. “We are only charging tuition fee,” she said. The state education minister further said all the district DEOs have been ordered to keep a vigil on private schools to ensure strict compliance of the state government’s order to charge only tuition fee, not depriving any student of online classes under any circumstances such as non-payment of fees etc. and not to pressurise parents for fees.
“I understand what the parents have been going through. I have directed all the DEOs to take prompt cognizance of such complaints against private schools and take suitable legal action after investigating the matter. I will raise the issue in the state cabinet,” said Mahato.
He said transportation and other such fees were waived off and the state government had also ordered that schools not holding online classes would not be allowed to charge tuition fees. “A comprehensive decision in the matter will be taken after the Supreme Court’s order. But, arbitrary actions by any school would not be tolerated,” asserted Mahato.
Meanwhile, Jamshedpur DEO Vineet Kumar has sent notices to 10 private schools here after some parents filed complaints about their wards’ names removed from the list of online classes for non-payment of fees.
“We have sent notices to 10 schools asking them to clarify the reason behind removing students’ names from the list of online classes. They can’t deny education to any student, not even for non-payment of fees,” said Kumar said.