Anantapur: Even as schools have reopened for physical classes after a long gap, many of the educational institutions in the private sector are facing a crisis. This is owing to non-payment of fee by parents saying schools had remained closed, even though managements had to pay salaries to teachers on humanitarian grounds and for retaining them.
While corporate schools managed to forcibly collect fees from students over taking of online classes, medium-sized private schools have been unable to do so, despite taking online classes by establishing the required infrastructure at their schools.
Private school managements want the state government and education department to frame guidelines on payment of fee pending since last year. On Monday, many schools have clearly told parents to clear their previous dues, so that they could run the schools efficiently as per Covid-19 guidelines stipulated by the state government.
The correspondent of a private high school told Deccan Chronicle: “Even as majority of parents failed to pay fee last year, we obtained `20 lakh in private loans for paying salaries to our teachers and vehicle drivers, who are part of our school’s family. Parents have to pay up if we are to continue providing quality education,” the correspondent maintained. Mostly children from rural parts and certain urban areas of Anantapur study in this school.
Even though this and other schools succeeded in conducting online classes by purchasing and putting necessary technology in place, they have run into difficulties. This is because certain sections of parents have refused to pay fees for the closure period.
“The government must issue guidelines on collection of dues, at least in installments, now that the schools have reopened. Justice has to be done to both school managements and parents,” maintained another correspondent of a private school, which has been running since past three decades.
Meanwhile, an old school on Kalyanadurgam road, running since decades, closed three months ago. The school committee even sold the school land, unable to bear losses every month during the Coronavirus period.
