COVID-19: Waiver or moratorium? Parents confused about announcements on school fee relaxations

To pay or not to pay, waiver or moratorium--parents of school children are confused with announcements of several state governments offering relaxations for school fees during the coronavirus lockdown period in the country.

Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments have announced that schools should not pressurise parents to pay fees during the lockdown. However, there is no clarity among parents about whether no fees will be charged during the period or they will have to be paid later.

According to various school authorities, some parents have assumed that there will be no fees for the period and numerous queries are being received by them about fee waivers.

"There is no clarity. Schools are still charging miscellaneous fees like meal charges and transport charges. No body knows what has been waived and what is still there. When we reach out to schools they say its only a relaxation in the time and not the amount," Sandeep Makhija, a Gurgaon resident, told PTI.

Similar concerns are being faced by Rajasthan's Preeti Vashishth, "The government circular says that schools should not take any advance fees during the period but there is no clarity on whether the fees will have to be paid later or not for the lockdown period".

Rajneesh Kumar whose two kids study in a Noida school, said, "If the fees is anyway supposed to be paid then I would rather accommodate it in my budget now rather than facing a burden later. With the announcement it looked like a relief but I don't know if it actually is. Having clear instructions would have been helpful".

According to representative of a leading private school in Gurgaon, parents are calling them with queries about why fees statements have been generated when there is a government order.

"We explain to each of the parent that the fees has not been waived and only the deadlines have been relaxed. The teachers are working full time, regular classes are happening online, the staff needs to be paid salaries too," she said.

Another school spokesperson in Gurgaon said, "We are not forcing the parents to pay right away, the deadlines have been extended already and a genuine case can be evaluated accordingly even later but we are advising parents that whoever can pay right now should pay. The fees cannot be waived off. Parents are calling with queries like while meal charges are being levied. We have a full fledged kitchen and team handling it. So will we not be paying them during the period as no meals are being cooked?"