Parents demand Fee Waiver, schools cite concerns to pay salaries

 

Yasmeen Manzoor

Srinagar, May 13(KNB): Nevertheless, private School teachers across the Kashmir valley are destitute with the salaries from the past three months, the schools in fertility have asked parents to clear the pending dues staggering the parents enormously amid nationwide lockdown.

Jammu and Kashmir administration allowed private schools to collect pending tuition charges of the closed months and asked the management to decide about the concession of transport charges for those months that remained closed in backdrop of Coronavirus pandemic while the teachers are struggling for the monthly expenses of their family as they are not been paid since nation wide lockdown imposed across the country, reports revealed.

Principal Secretary to government for School Education Department, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon took to Twitter and wrote, “Pvt Schools to collect tuition fees. Let management to decide transport fees concessions. JKBOSE to grant
permanent registration to existing schools, privte school associations to be given representation in SeD committees; all unnecessary NOCs to be abolished.”

In retaliation to the tweet of Samoon regarding collection of fee Parents association Kashmir blower out and tantrums exhibited vexation over the decision terming it as injustice for the parents struggling for their living Since August 2019 when the special status of the state was abrogated.

“We don’t have more resources, if we will not charge students then we will not be able to pay salaries to staff. From the last many years we are suffering and it is the responsibility of parents to save the School in this tough time.” Private School owner told KNB

Member of Private Parents school Association talking to Kashmir News Bureau on phone said, “In a time of crisis, where everyone is worried about arranging meals for the day, private school management is not bothered about the hardships we face. We are not running away from paying fees but they should understand that saving lives is more important in this hour of crisis.”

He further said, “the tweet of Dr Asgar Samoon has shipped every common man and it is not possible for them to inactive upon it ,we appeal to the government to take back this decision and waive off all tuition fee charges.”
Moreover, the private school teachers across the valley alleged that they are deprived of their salaries since the schools were shut across the valley following the nation wide Lockdown to combat Coronavirus due to which they are facing huge complications as their bread and butter is at stake.

They said that the teachers underwent pay cuts since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and when there was a little ray of hope that things will get back to normal, Melancholy Lockdown imposed ruined everything leading to the verge of starvation. (KNB)