The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked states and union territories to examine the issues of school fees payment and salaries to teachers "sensitively and holistically" keeping in mind the interest of all stakeholders.
The directions of the Board come after Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' tweeted in this regard urging schools to not charge three months' tuition fees at once.
"Keeping in view the present situation of the countrywide lockdown, and difficulties being face 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 lumpsum payment of school fees and teacher's salaries sensitively and holistically considering the interest of all stakeholders concerned," CBSE secretary Anurag Tripathi said in a letter to chief secretaries of states and union territories.
"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," he said.
He said that action taken at "your end may kindly be informed to the board to enable us to respond to the queries of our stakeholders."
As per CBSE affiliation byelaws, fees is supposed to be be charged under the heads prescribed by the Department of Education of the states and union territories. The admission fee charged under any other head are also charged only as per the regulations of the appropriate government, the byelaws state. The affiliation byelaws also empower the education department of states and union territories concerned to decide the manner in which fee can be collected.
The lockdown, which was from March 25 to April 14, has been extended by the Centre to May 3 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
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