Payment of School Fees During the Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought substantial economic consequences across sectors due to the lockdowns imposed all across the country over the past fifteen months. The education sector has had to bear the brunt, too, leaving students with no option but to make arrangements to appear for online classes as schools continue to remain shut. Amidst all the chaos and confusion, educational institutions have continued to charge exorbitant school fees without relaxation. Various schools also hiked their prices, putting parents across the country under enormous pressure.

The brick-and-mortar model of schools has gone through a complete change in the past 15 months and has shifted to digital modes to conduct classes for children. Thus, parents are at a total loss as to why they have to pay the entire school fees when none of the school facilities are being used by the children, including meals, travel charges, excursions, etc.

The Story so Far

In the initial days of the pandemic, after the nationwide lockdown was imposed and once schools began conducting classes online, several state governments announced relaxations in school fees. However, parents have continued to receive fee statements from the respective schools despite the government orders.

At MommyWize, we have tried to analyze the perspective of schools while also highlighting the parents’ concerns. Let’s get a detailed look at both sides of the argument.

What do Schools Say?

While schools have been closed for more than a year now and classes are being held virtually, education activities have had to take a massive hit across the country — and it is not only the students who are suffering.

• Private schools have been particularly affected, with most finding it challenging even to pay their staff. To cut costs, many schools have had to “provisionally” terminate the services of their team for extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, such as arts and sports, besides other staff members.

• The schools blame the fund crunch due to the different directions issued by state governments to decrease fees, which ensures that parents are not being charged for facilities that the schools are not required to offer during virtual classes. Orders directing schools only to collect tuition fees from parents have been passed in most states. Schools have been asked not to charge development fees, transport fees, and fees collected for extra-curricular activities.

• However, many schools have stated that collecting just the tuition fees has become impossible, particularly in the second year of the pandemic. This has, in turn, led to the increase in bad debts by schools. The brunt, thus, is being borne by the teachers who are having to work even harder now as they try to adjust to the new normal of education. It is difficult to pay the salary to the hard-working teachers, let alone consider giving them a well-deserved hike.

Also Read: How to Prepare for the Third Wave of the Pandemic and Keep Kids safe

• Schools state that they need to deliver not just their staff but also for quite a few maintenances and overhead costs, whether the campus is being utilized or not. Schools have yearly contracts for the maintenance of vehicles and sports grounds, swimming pools, buildings, etc. Just because the children are not coming to school, these contracts cannot be Canceled. The payments need to be made to maintain the school. This expense is incurred even though students are not on campus. Schools have also taken various loans from the banks previously, for which the interest needs to be paid.

• Virtual classes have also bought in fresh costs for most schools, with authorities having to purchase laptops and pay for internet connectivity for teachers who do not have the infrastructure required to conduct online classes. Examples of such expenses are subscriptions for various web services for online assessment tools, webinars, Zoom subscriptions, and internet connections for teachers who might not have them at home, amongst other things.

• The entry-level (LKG/1st standard) admission in most budget schools has been zero; thus, the fee from one grade is complete. Also, schools already face some income loss from children that are enrolled under the RTE quota. Moreover, the government has to pay this reimbursement to schools yet.

• Some schools have been trying to manage and have paid total salaries to their staff without letting go of anyone, while some schools haven’t been lucky. While the schools understand the plight of the parents and are trying to help cut costs, there is only this much that they can do. Teachers depend on their salaries too, and parents need to keep in mind that teachers are working harder than ever before and are dependent on their wages. Plight of Parents As admissions for the new academic year began, many parents have alleged that schools have either maintained the same fees as last year or hiked it.

• Parents state charges for transportation, amenity, and snacks have also been included in the price for students. However, it does look like schools will mainly function online this year too. Parents want to know why do schools need to charge for transport and snacks? The student is not going to be using these facilities anyways. Parents understand that the schools are good, but they do not know how tough things are financial.

• To think that a couple of zoom classes a day can replace the otherwise 8 hours a day study coupled with play sessions at school is quite unfair, say parents. Thus, to pay the complete tuition fee for an hour a day through zoom is making parents upset and raise questions. In the case of urban schools that are run privately, the costs could be much more, and such calculations can go over a few thousand rupees per half hour.

• Parents whose incomes are directly dependent on the economy are facing even more difficulties. A restaurant owner, who is already struggling for money to pay his employees, is protesting against paying the entire school fees stating that this situation is unprecedented . Schools need to think of those who may not have enough cash to spend lots of school fees.

• No matter what, schools need to consider discounts, say parents. There are no physical admin costs, transport (some schools are dropping that from fees but not all, as they need to pay the bus staff), daily cleaning, and many other such costs associated with kids being present in schools. • As holding online classes has become the norm, some schools forget that their students may not even be able to afford tablets, computers, or even wifi. The chaos caused by the virus is the hardest on those with few resources.

• Some schools have also asked parents to purchase uniforms for their children. This expense does not seem justified either. However, schools maintain that purchasing uniforms Has been made mandatory as there needs to be some discipline enforced in the children, lacking due to the leisurely atmosphere of attending classes from home.

While education, just like any other sector, has taken a massive hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic, parents and teachers both have a point. While it may be tough to pick a side, we have to understand that this pandemic has stung every living being on this planet, and compassion and understanding will go a long way in helping us heal.

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