Private schools violating govt order of 25% fee waiver may be shut down

August 20: In a significant move, Assam Government has urged upon all private schools to provide atleast 25 percent concession in monthly fees. In a notification, the Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Assam, Education Department, stated that, “Every educational institution as mentioned above have to waive 25% of their monthly school/college fees exclusively meant from the month of May 2020 to till the formal and physical opening of educational institutions for imparting education to the students studying in any class from pre-primary to Class XIII.”

It needs mention here that in the month of April, 2020 Assam Government asked the schools to offer 50 percent concession of fees for that particular month only. However, on receiving complaints from newsmen regarding some schools of Guwahati unwilling to waive the fees, the minister got angry. He said, “On receipt of specific complaints from parents and guardians, if on enquiry, the allegations are found true, then such erring schools may even be shut down by the state government.”

The government order in this connection also stated that the educational institutions who have already collected the fees meant for the above period (May 2020 onwards) will adjust the concession in the next installment of the fees.