School authorities should return the money paid as advance for admission if parents ask for it, the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has recommended.
The commission, on Tuesday, recommended that if parents expressed inability to continue their ward’s education in a school and sought return of advance paid at the time of admission, it should be paid back by the school authorities if classes were yet to begin.
However, if classes were under way, the school authorities could charge fee for those completed and return the rest, the commission said.
Financial difficulties
Commission member K. Nazeer observed that many parents had taken admission for their wards in schools and paid advance fee. However, owing to COVID-19 induced financial difficulties, they were unable to pay the fee required for their ward’s education there and were forced to shift them to government or other schools that were inexpensive.
In such cases, parents had the right to get back the money paid as advance if classes were yet to begin. The money could not be denied to parents for the sole reason that admission had been given after receiving advance fee.
The panel directed that the Director of General Education and the CBSE Regional Officer here issue circulars asking schools in the State to follow the commission’s directives strictly. It also sought a report from them on the action taken within 30 days.
The complaint
The commission directive came in the wake of a plea by a Pathanamthitta resident. He had said that he had paid ₹10,000 as advance for admission of his child to a school. Owing to financial difficulties caused by COVID-19, he could not continue his ward’s education there and sought return of the advance.
However, the Principal of the school refused to pay back the money. Later, the complainant informed the commission that the Principal had agreed to return the fee, and no action need be taken. Hence, no order was being issued in the case, the commission said, adding that the Principal was, however, bound to return the money.
