Schools can’t bar students from exam over fees: Govt

Schools can’t bar students from exam over fees: Govt

‘Action Against Schools Forcing Fee Payment For Covid Months’

Suchandana.Gupta@timesgroup.com

Bhopal:  02.03.2021 

No student can be denied appearance in examinations if his or her school fee were not paid during the Coronavirus-induced pandemic period. This was specified by minister of state for school education Inder Singh Parmar while answering a question by BJP MLA from Mahidpur constituency Bahadur Singh Chouhan in the state assembly on Monday.

Parmar also said that district collectors will once again be sent an order on Monday to take action against schools that are forcefully taking fees from parents of students for the months during which schools were shut.

The minister of state said, “Whether CBSE or state board, the government has given orders that if online classes have been held then only tuition fees can be taken. No other additional fee can be charged. We will send a letter to all district collectors again today for action against such schools that are forcefully extorting fees.” During Question Hour on Monday, Bahadur Singh Chouhan raised the issue of two schools in his constituency — Ji Maa Vaishno Convent School in Jharda and Bharatiya Madhyamik Vidyalaya in Banbana. The MLA asked the minister to end recognition of the schools because the parent of a student was beaten-up since he could not pay the fee. “Not only was he beaten, he was also locked up,” the MLA alleged.

He claimed there are many irregularities committed by the owners of these schools. He said one of the two schools is hardly nine feet away from a petrol pump. “There is only a boundary separating the petrol pump from the school,” Bahadur Singh Chouhan told the House. He said the petrol pump was set up much before the school. Hence, there should be action against officials who permitted the construction of the school.

Bahadur Singh Chouhan’s question was supported by MLAs from the Opposition Congress. Former finance minister Tarun Bhanot said, “In the whole of Madhya Pradesh, schools are forcing parents to pay fees for the Coronaaffected months.” Another former minister and MLA from Bhopal South-West constituency PC Sharma said, “Children are not being permitted to appear for examinations if their fees have not been paid.”

BJP MLA from Timarni assembly seat Sanjay Shah pointed out that even the big corporate schools are demanding fees for Corona affected months when the school was closed. Speaker Girish Gautam told the minister that many MLAs are concerned with the fee extraction of schools and asked the minister to look into the matter.

Regarding the two schools in Mahidpur, minister of state Inder Singh Parmar said that the department has found many irregularities in the schools.

Bahadur Singh Chouhan asked for suspension of the officials who gave permission for construction of the schools. The minister said action will be taken but the department will follow set procedure.

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