Private schools in Gujarat have decided to resume online classes from Monday.
The schools had suspended online classes in protest against a State government directive – dated July 16 but made public on July 22 – that restrained schools from charging fees for online classes until the physical reopening of schools. The schools said they had to pay salaries to the teachers and other staff members.
The schools approached the High Court with a writ petition challenging the Government Resolution (GR).
State Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said the GR was subject to the High Court order on whether schools could charge fees for the period they remain shut due to the pandemic.
The decision to resume online classes was taken at a virtual meeting of school management associations of self-financed and grant-in-aid schools on Saturday. The school management associations have also clarified that they would not be charging fees for the online classes resuming from Monday.
“We are resuming only the online classes and there will be no administration work. We will not be charging fees from the parents for online classes,” said Bharat Gajipara, president of the Gujarat State Self Financed Schools Management Association.
Meanwhile, teachers in private and self-financed schools have approached the government stating that if the schools were prohibited from charging fees then they would not be paid salary.
“There are 1.5 million teachers and other other staff members in private schools across the State. We are also stakeholders and the government must consider our situation before taking any decision about fees during the pandemic,” a teacher engaged in a prominent school said. .
The teachers and private school management associations blame the parents associations who have exerted pressure on the government to issue a direction against fees.
