SHILLONG: Even though prolonged closure of educational institutions persists in the wake of the ongoing pandemic, many private schools in Meghalaya have been keeping the students up-to-date with the lessons by either undertaking online classes or assigning work via different platforms in order to ensure they keep up with their curriculum.
However, the All Meghalaya School Parents Association (AMSPA) has expressed concern about the private schools being given the nod to collect tuition fees.
The chairman of AMSPA, S Banshai Marbaniang, in a letter to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, said that most parents are not in a position to pay the fees even as the association asked the state government to revoke its earlier order relating to private schools in the state.
It said that the private schools in Meghalaya cannot levy any fees apart from those schools that are undertaking online classes; they can collect the tuition fees. While stating that several schools in the state are attempting to collect school fees or tuition fees without conducting classes, the AMSPA maintained that the parents cannot be forced in this regard.
It emphasised that in order for the private schools to collect fees from the students, they need to reopen the institutions or alternatively take online classes.
“No schools should be allowed to hike fees,” Marbaniang said in the letter.
He also sought clarity on the functioning of the schools during the lockdown. He alleged that some schools started online classes without consulting the parents, while some even asked for payment of fees through WhatsApp.
