Delhi Schools May Now Levy Tuition Fee Only, Yet Parents Anxious

The Delhi government has asked private schools to charge monthly tuition fee only till the lockdown is over.

The Delhi government’s directive asking private schools in the city to charge tuition fees only on a monthly basis till the lockdown is in place, has drawn mixed reactions from parents. While parents are relieved that they do not have to pay miscellaneous fee like transport and annual charges, they are also worried that the school may end up charging these fee heads once the lockdown is lifted.

A parent who didn’t wish to be named said that while everyone was sending congratulatory messages after the announcement, they are now beginning to think as to why Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia did not clarify if fee heads not being charged now will be charged later.

“While the government has said that schools will only charge tuition fee, there is no clarification on whether annual charges and development fee will be waived completely or will be added in the subsequent quarters,” he said.

The parent, whose son studies at a private school in Dwarka, says that parents are now demanding that private schools should:

• Only charge monthly tuition fee.
• Completely waive annual charges which are taken at the beginning of the first quarter.
• Waive development fee for the first quarter.

Parents Fear Return of Annual, Development Fee

Rajinder Nagar Amit Sharma, who lost his hospitality sector job to the coronavirus pandemic is relieved with the fact that he now has to pay only Rs 6,000 as tuition fee. Like the parent quoted above, Sharma too, wants schools to waive annual charges and development fee for this quarter.

“They can waive the development fee till next quarter and hopefully by then I will get some job. But if they add it to the next quarter, I will be forced to withdraw my son and put him in a government school.”

Amit Sharma

Sharma, who used to earn Rs 40,000 has been without a job since February this year. Similarly, Naina (name changed) fears that her son’s school in north Delhi might add the remaining fee heads to the next quarter and then force parents to pay up. She, too, lost her aviation job with the onset of Coronavirus.

Fee Can be Deferred, Not Waived: Schools

While schools have welcomed the Delhi government’s decision, they are opposed to demands from parents who want annual and development fee for the first quarter to be waived completely.

“We welcome Mr Sisodia’s statement in these unprecedented times. As far as demands for waivers are concerned, schools are under tremendous pressure and teachers are trying their best. Things can be deferred to certain extent, but not waived. If schools today decide to defer payment to teachers, how would that work for the transport divers and conductors? It’s a vicious cycle.”

Michael William, Dean, Mount Carmel School 

RC Jain, President of Delhi Sate Public School Management Association said that he welcomes “the government’s decision because this has dispelled rumours that parents have to pay fee at all.”

On the issue of development and annual fee waivers, he said that schools will take month-wise fee and pay month-wise salaries of teachers at the moment and focus on other fee heads later. ‘We will decide about development fee, annual charge, transport fee later, this directive is only applicable for the lockdown period.”