Don’t send message, mails seeking fees: Uttarakhand high court

NAINITAL: The Uttarakhand high court (HC) has prohibited the private schools in the state from sending emails, WhatsApp messages or any form of communication to parents asking them to pay the tuition fee for conducting online classes during the lockdown period.
The direction comes from the bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Ramesh Chandra Khulbe which heard two public interest litigations (PIl) alleging that the private schools in the state were charging fee from parents in contravention of the government’s order released on May 2.
An Interim Order (IO) was passed by the division bench on Tuesday said that the private institutions are using subtle means to force parents. “It does appear that subtle means are being adopted by these private institutions to force parents to pay the tuition fees. Since payment of tuition fee by students is voluntary, none of the private schools shall send e-mails or WhatsApp messages or any form of communication to the parents calling upon them to pay the tuition fee,” the order read.
The HC also directed the state government to appoint the district education officers (DEO) and block development officers (BDO) as nodal officers to whom the parents can address their complaints. “On receipt of such complaints, the concerned nodal officers shall take prompt action against the erring education institutions who are coercing parents to pay the tuition fees of their children, though the Government Order dates 02.05.2020 stipulates that payment of tuition fee is voluntary,” read the order.
Speaking to TOI, Ajay Veer Pundir, the counsel appearing for petitioners said that the HC has also directed the secretary, school education, to furnish detailed information about the number of schools offering online courses and the number of students who have access to them and whether tuition fee is being charged from students who cannot access the online classes. “We also said that some schools are evening charging fee from the parents of students studying Upper kindergarten that is the students who are not even in Class I. The court has now directed the secretary to furnish the details for this too and issue appropriate directions as well,” Pundir said.
“He (secretary education) shall consider the wisdom in conducting such online programmes for these children in Upper Kindergarten, examine whether this is just a ruse to collection tuition free from them, an issue appropriation directions to all such private schools in this regard as he considers appropriate,” the HC said.
The court has given two weeks’ time to comply with all its direction and has listed the matter for May 26 when the secretary will furnish the details.