Punjab: Students won't be struck off by private schools on non-payment of fee

Students will not be struck off the rolls of private schools in Punjab on account of non-payment of fee, said the Punjab Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

"No student will be struck off the rolls of private schools in Punjab on account of non-payment of fee, pending the final decision of the High Court, which on Monday issued notice on the appeals filed in the matter by the state government," the CMO in an official statement.

This decision comes as a major relief for parents of students of private unaided schools who had expressed financial difficulty in paying fees during the lockdown period, and whose wards were consequently facing threat of being removed from the schools.

The relief would be applicable for students and parents, who are unable to pay school fees, and those who had filed an application before the school and the state regulator under the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Un-aided Educational Institutions Act, 2016, showing financial difficulty.

"The High Court asked the school authorities to decide on applications of such parents expeditiously," read the release.

The Punjab government had filed an appeal before the Division Bench of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana against the order of a single judge allowing the schools to charge fees irrespective of whether they were offering online education or not, and to charge actual expenses incurred, for the lockdown period.

"The single judge had allowed parents facing financial difficulty to apply for exemption/waiver of fee," the release said.

"The Division Bench of the High Court noted that ordinarily, the court would only have issued notice on the appeals, but the interim order was currently being passed given the apprehension and anxiety expressed by the AG Punjab on the effect of the judgment passed by the single judge," it added.

( With inputs from ANI )