IFM stands by no school fees stand
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 14 2020: The Irabot Foundation Manipur (IFM) has urged the State Government to revoke the Education (S) Commissioner's order allowing private schools to collect 30% of the monthly fees from the students of private schools and Government aided schools from April this year, forthwith.

The body further urged the State Government to issue a fresh order for exempting fees in private and Government-aided schools in the State for the months classes were not held.

Speaking to media persons at its head office at Yaiskul today, IFM secretary-general, Kh Gopen said that the order issued on October 5 last is one-sided and favours only the owners/authorities of the private and Government-aided schools.

Further stating that the order is against the farmers and labourers too, Gopen said that the State Government should understand the hardships being faced by farmers and labourers at this difficult time.

Farmers and labourers in the State are still struggling as their income was crippled for several months completely, he said adding that the authorities of private schools and Government-aided schools should shun running schools for commercial purpose only.

He further said that most private schools and Government-aided schools in the State had completed the admission process before the imposition of lockdown while some of them had even collected school fees for months in advance.

Kh Gopen also claimed that there is evidence of many private schools collecting fees in advance.

Contending that the admission fees collected by schools were meant for developing infrastructure and maintaining classrooms for an academic year, the general secretary asserted that no authorities of private schools and Government-aided schools should invest any of the fees collected in maintaining classrooms and infrastructure as there were no classes during the lockdown.

The private and Government-aided schools in the State can give salaries for their teachers from the amount collected in admission, Gopen said.

Reminding that IFM had consulted Chief Minister N Biren through e-meeting in this regard and placed the matter of exempting tuition fees for schools, colleges, universities and educational institutions on April 17 this year, the secretary-general lamented that the Education (S) Commissioner had sidelined the matter placed to the Chief Minister and issued an order contradictory to what the IFM had mooted in the meeting.

Gopen also suggested that the State Government could extend monetary assistance in paying the honorarium of teachers and staff of private and Government-aided schools.

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