Daijiworld Media Network -Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Nov 26: The Association of Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) has warned the government that the private schools will stop online classes from November 30 in respect of students who have not paid the fee.
It may be recalled that the minister for primary and secondary education, S Suresh Kumar, had warned the schools not to stop education in respect of students who have defaulted on fee payment. He had warned that schools violating this instruction will be dealt with sternly.
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The Association has pointed out that the schools find it hard to run the schools as they are compelled to meet power bills, water, payment to staff and teachers etc. It said that unless the parents make payment of pending fee, online classes of such students will have to be suspended. KAMS secretary D Shashikumar, said that many parents have not been paying the fee of their children for the past eight months. He said that because of this, it has become very difficult to manage the schools. "We had requested the parents several times to pay the fee but there is no response. Therefore, we have no option but to take this step," he reasoned.
Even though there is government order, parents of students studying in private unaided schools have not paid the fee. About 50 to 60 percent of parents have kept the fee pending. But they are getting online education from June till now. Problem has been created due to contradictory statements issued by education minister. The parents and children are encouraged by the statement that the children would be promoted even if the fee is not paid. The children believe that they can pass even if they do not pay the fee, Shashikumar said, and condemned the irresponsible statement without taking responsibility for paying salary of teachers and meeting other expenses involved in running the schools.
Shashikumar said that unlike some prestigious schools at which the minister's statement appears to target, their schools are budget schools which are dependent on fee to meet day-to-day expenses. He said that it is hard not to bring pressure on the parents not paying the fee. He added that students who do not pay fee will be kept outside the ambit of online teaching.