The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday directed the State government not to take any coercive action against members of the Association of India Schools, affiliated to the CBSE and the ICSE, for any violation of the government’s order asking schools not to collect more than 70% of the tuition fee charged for the previous academic year.
The court also directed the schools, which are members of the association, be considerate on those children and their parents who, owing to COVID-19 pandemic, have difficulty to pay the fee prescribed by them, and not to be harsh on them.
Justice R. Devdas passed the interim order on a petition filed by the association questioning the legality of the January 29, 2021 order.
Earlier, the association had assured the court that its members on their own would consider hardship faced by many of the parents in paying the requisite fee and offer them necessary solace. It was argued on behalf of the association that the government in 2019 had given an undertaking to the court that it would not take any coercive action against the member-schools during the pendency of their earlier petition questioning the application of certain new provisions introduced to the Karnataka Education Act to the schools affiliated to the CBSE and the ISCE.
As the order issued on January 29 was made applicable to the schools affiliated to the CBSE and the ISCE under the new provisions of the Act, legality of which is pending adjudication, the schools approached the court.
