Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, April 16: Few private schools in the city have introduced two new heads in their fees books from the current academic session. Now parents are being made to pay ‘Covid protocol fee’ and ‘teaching Aid fee’.
“Motilal Nehru Public School is charging Rs 3000 per student as the Covid protocol cum maintenance fee in the new session. Teaching aid fee of Rs 1000 per student has also been demanded. There are around 2500 students in the school. The new heads of fees will fetch around Rs 1 crore to the school,” said Dr Umesh Kumar, president, Jamshedpur Abhibhavak Sangh.
Kumar said the Covid protocol fee was an additional burden on parents and totally uncalled for. He termed the new fee head as an unreasonable attempt to extort the parents who were helpless in the current situation.
“The administration takes no action against private schools. Hence such schools get the motivation to keep devising new ways to extort the parents,” said Kumar.
According to Ashu Tiwary, Principal, MNPS, “Maintenance fee is not new. Covid Protocol fee will be utilized in sanitization and temperature check of children. This is being charged keeping in mind children’s safety.”
Vinay Mishra, a parent, said, “The schools have already increased their fees. School vans and auto-rickshaws have also increased the fees from this session. Now we will have cough up new Covid protocol fee. This is arbitrary and beyond one’s ken.”
Sources said Carmel Junior College, Sonari, is also charging teaching aid fee.
Asked about the new fees, SD Tigga, District Education Officer, East Singhbhum, said, “Parents have not complained against any private school so far. We will conduct an inquiry in case any school is charging Covid protocol fee or imposing fee under any new head without justification.”
Abhibhavak Sangh is mulling over plans to challenge the imposition of new fees on parents. It is waiting for more parents to become vocal on the issue.
