States must look into the matters of School fee and teachers’ salaries

States must look into the matters of School fee and teachers’ salaries—CBSE Advises

Vinod kakumanu
April 30, 2020, 11:38 a.m.

CBSE has advised the states and the union territories to attend to the matters related to the school fees and teachers’ salaries and recommend prudent measures. The decision has to be taken "sensitively and holistically" with the interests of all stakeholders in mind.

After the extension of the lockdown, the question regarding the school fee and teachers’ salaries has been looming large. Some states have issued directions to the private schools not to charge fees for the period of the lockdown and the salaries of teachers have been hanging in the balance.

A letter to chief secretaries of states and union territories by CBSE secretary AnuragTripathi read, “Keeping in view the present situation of the countrywide lockdown, and difficulties being faced by all stakeholders in the school education system due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, it is requested that the state governments may examine the issue of lump sum payment of school fees and teacher's salaries sensitively and holistically considering the interest of all stakeholders concerned."

It was added that "the States and UTs may consider issuing suitable instructions on periodicity of payment of school fees and payment of salaries to the teaching and non-teaching staff to be applicable during the period of the pandemic,".

The states and union territories have a lot of say in the matters of school fees. CBSE schools charge fees in accordance with the CBSE affiliation byelaws. The byelaws direct the schools to charge fees under the heads fixed by the Department of Education of the states and union territories.