Tuition Fees Has Become A Bone Contention Between Parents And Schools

Education in the times of COVID 19 has become virtual. Students from all age groups are spending hours in front of a screen instead of attending physical classes. Therefore, parents all over the country are demanding a reduction in school fees for months now. They have argued that since children are not going to school and not using facilities like laboratories, electricity, and playground, they should not be paying for such facilities.

Sonia Rajesh, the mother of 12-year old Rakshith, said "If my child is not attending school, not using facilities like sports equipment, libraries, computer labs, then why should I pay for that? I have to manage setting up a device for him to study with a stable internet connection, which costs me extra. There has been no change in the tuition fees whatsoever."

On the other hand, many schools said that they have cut transportation costs for the bus services. However, they said they cannot reduce the students' tuition fees since they also have to pay salaries to the teachers. The pandemic is a challenging time for everyone Even the teachers are facing a lot of problems in conducting online classes.

In May, a bench of Justices AM Khanwilker and Dinesh Maheshwari said that schools should avoid insisting on payment for unused facilities. "It is for the school management to reschedule the payment of school fees in such a way that not even a single student is left out or denied the opportunity of pursuing his education".

Also Read: Bengaluru Special School Principal Held For Sexual Harassment