Karnataka School Fee Cut: Teachers Move HC; Parents Elated

After the show of strength in the rally on 23 Feb, associations of teachers and management have moved high court.

Thousands of teachers and schools staff of private schools across Karnataka staged a massive rally on Tuesday against the government order to cut 30 percent school fees.

(Photo: The Quint/Aroop Mishra)

Video Editor: Sandeep Suman

On 23 February, thousands of teachers, non-teaching staff, and private school management members marched from Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Bengaluru Railway Station to Freedom Park against Karnataka government’s notification that directed private schools to collect only 70 percent tuition fee from the parents.

Many associations of teachers and school managements moved the Karnataka High Court against the government’s order.

The high court has issued a notice to the government and asked to file its statement of objections within a period of 10 days.

“The government has passed an order of reducing fees by 30 percent but it is not actually 30 percent, it is more than 55-60 percent. The government had earlier said not to increase the fees this academic year, due to the pandemic, which is around 15 percent. And the government has also asked schools not to take any term fee or development or any other charges. So, it comes to around 55-60 percent.”

Natesh Kumar MN, Vice Principal, Gurukul International School

Private schools, that are running unaided, say that they are dependent on fees paid by the parents for all the expenses, from teacher’s salary to maintaining infrastructure, payment of government taxes, and loans.

“We are paying full energy charges, water charges, BBMP taxes. Is the government ready to cut these charges to the same extent?”

BM Satyanarayana, Principal, Presidency English School

‘Strongly Support Fee Cut’

On the other hand, parents have welcomed the government’s move to cut school fees by 30 percent.

“I strongly support the fee cut. Many of us have lost our jobs in these COVID times and schools are becoming business centres nowadays. They blocked my son’s classes because I couldn’t pay one of the instalments and had asked them for an extension,” says Deepak, a father of two children.

Parents claim that they had requested the schools to deduct school fees as they are under tremendous financial crunch due to the pandemic.

Earlier, Karnataka education minister had clarified that the step taken by the government is to ‘help parents in the hour of distress.’

Now, all eyes are onto Karnataka High Court which would hear the matter immediately after the statement of objections is filed by the state government.