<p class="title">Days after the Department of Public Instruction told private schools not to demand fee for the next academic year, till further orders, several school managements in Bengaluru are now asking for fee in the name of online classes.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka brought this issue to the notice of Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar. The association alleged that several schools are demanding fee from parents for conducting online classes.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Even a few parents have complained to the minister. In the complaint, they stated, "Schools are demanding the annual fee and fee for e-books for conducting the online classes. Some institutions are running coaching classes and asking the parents to pay up. This has been brought to the notice of the department. The department had earlier asked the institutions not to pressure the parents for paying fee until May-end."</p>.<p class="bodytext">A school's communication to parents, which is available with DH, reads, "We are resorting to online classes as there is no time to cover the syllabus considering the severity of the Covid-19 outbreak. There is no clear roadmap as to when the examinations will resume, when the schools will reopen for the new academic year. In view of this, we are starting online classes for Class 8, 9, and 10, and parents have to pay the fee for the same."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Some schools are even asking parents to pay for books available in Ebook format. "All the books for Volume 1 for next academic year will be available in eBooks format on parent App or portal. Students can start accessing and going through the books for the classes from April 22 onwards. These eBooks will be visible in your parent App portal post the fee is paid in eBooks section," reads the communication.</p>.<p class="bodytext">D Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said, “We are following the government guidelines with great difficulties as even most of the budget schools are struggling to pay salaries to staff. But some schools are forcing parents to pay the fees and we demand government to initiate action against such schools. We have even submitted names of the schools along with complaint to minister."</p>
<p class="title">Days after the Department of Public Instruction told private schools not to demand fee for the next academic year, till further orders, several school managements in Bengaluru are now asking for fee in the name of online classes.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka brought this issue to the notice of Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar. The association alleged that several schools are demanding fee from parents for conducting online classes.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Even a few parents have complained to the minister. In the complaint, they stated, "Schools are demanding the annual fee and fee for e-books for conducting the online classes. Some institutions are running coaching classes and asking the parents to pay up. This has been brought to the notice of the department. The department had earlier asked the institutions not to pressure the parents for paying fee until May-end."</p>.<p class="bodytext">A school's communication to parents, which is available with DH, reads, "We are resorting to online classes as there is no time to cover the syllabus considering the severity of the Covid-19 outbreak. There is no clear roadmap as to when the examinations will resume, when the schools will reopen for the new academic year. In view of this, we are starting online classes for Class 8, 9, and 10, and parents have to pay the fee for the same."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Some schools are even asking parents to pay for books available in Ebook format. "All the books for Volume 1 for next academic year will be available in eBooks format on parent App or portal. Students can start accessing and going through the books for the classes from April 22 onwards. These eBooks will be visible in your parent App portal post the fee is paid in eBooks section," reads the communication.</p>.<p class="bodytext">D Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said, “We are following the government guidelines with great difficulties as even most of the budget schools are struggling to pay salaries to staff. But some schools are forcing parents to pay the fees and we demand government to initiate action against such schools. We have even submitted names of the schools along with complaint to minister."</p>
