Nagpur: Following strong protests by parents demanding reduction in school fees , many schools in Nagpur have provided relief in view of Covid-19 pandemic. The schools include leading groups like Bhavan’s and Modern among others which have provided help to the parents, many of whom either have lost their jobs or their business has been adversely affected due to lockdowns.
In its gesture, Bhavan’s has cut fees by 23 percent while Modern waived off charges of library and other extra-curricular activities. Notably, last year three schools – Prahaar, Kurvey’s New Model and Nahate Primary – had cut fees substantially in a relief to distressed parents, despite facing losses. The schools that have reduced fees claimed that they have not reduced salaries of their teaching and non-teaching staff though some of the prominent schools sacked some teachers.
Recently, members of various Parents Associations had assembled at Samvidhan Square (RBI Square) in Nagpur to protest against school fees and demanded that a minimum 50 percent reduction must be done. The Parents Associations claimed that the State Government recently has cut the school fees but the schools are recovering full fees from parents. An education activist, Mohd Sharif, said that the State Government has reduced RTE reimbursement by 50 percent because even the government knows that the schools are not incurring as much expenses as before. Similarly, the parents are demanding that a minimum 50% fee reduction must be done by the schools, he demanded.
