GD Birla Centre for Edu says will debar student if first quarter fees not paid

Kolkata: Amid agitation by guardians to protest against hike in school fees or demand for late payment of fees, a prominent English medium institute of Kolkata has courted controversy by saying it will debar a student from attending online classes, if his or her first quarter fees are not paid by July 10.

The G D Birla Centre for Education also said a guardian, who has problems in paying fees, should approach the school individually instead of holding protests on the road.

Education minister Partha Chatterjee disapproved of the move by the institute, while guardians alleged that during this difficult COVID-19 time, the school is forcing them to pay fees for services not availed by students.

"If the first quarter fee (the period April 2020 to June 2020) is not paid on or before 10th July 2020, we are left with no option but to exclude your ward from the online classes and preclude access to resource material," the email sent to guardians on Tuesday by the school principal read. The notice triggered fresh protests by guardians before the school building in south Kolkata on Wednesday. They had held demonstrations there earlier also. "A large number of parents have already paid the fees and a section of those who haven't are holding protests in front of the school building. This is not fair," a spokesman of the institute said. "A guardian can approach the management individually if he or she has any problem and it will be considered from a humanitarian angle. But staging protests before the school building is not the way. They all knew what will be the amount of fees while admitting their wards," he said.

Guardians said they do not have any problem to pay the tuition fees of Rs 300 but the school is forcing them to pay fees under several heads, while the students are attending online classes from home. "When online classes started, many parents had to buy laptops or smart phones. Did the school fund these expenses," one of the guardians said. "It is not the right thing. This is not done," Education minister Partha Chatterjee said on the notice of the school.

Chatterjee added that he had

repeatedly asked private schools not to hike tuition fees and not to ask

parents to pay fees under transport, library, computer, stationary heads immediately. With agency inputs