Uttar Pradesh government orders schools to not hike school fee amid coronavirus COVID-19 crisis

In a major relief to parents, Uttar Pradesh government on Monday (April 27) ordered all schools in the state to not raise the fees in due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.

Special Secretary Rajesh Kumar issued an order in this regard saying the government has already declared coronavirus outbreak as a disaster, and to curb the spread of he pandemic, a nationwide lockdown has been announced which has badly affected the income of many parents across Uttar Pradesh.

"It is ordered to all the schools of all boards in the state that there will be no hike in school fees for the 2020-21 session or any other kind of hike in admission charges," he said.

The Special Secretary added that the schools must follow the fee structure of 2019-20 session and if hiked fees has been collected by any school then the extra money must be adjusted in next month fee.

On April 17, Delhi government had prohibited all private schools in the national capital from hiking their fees and charging transportation fees from the students amid the COVID-19 lockdown period. The government also directed schools to charge fees only on a monthly basis and not quarterly.

"All private schools in Delhi are operated by trusts and their basic mandate is to serve the society. They cannot harass parents like this. The government has decided not to allow any private school to hike fees without taking prior approval from the government. The rule is applicable for all schools irrespective of the fact if the school is built on government or private land," Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia had said.