Admission fee : Teacher's salary stopped for violating norms

MALDA, Aug. 6: The district inspector of schools (secondary) has stopped the salary for the month of July for all teachers of Ramkinkar Girls’ School in English Bazaar town on charges of violating government orders regarding collection of admission fee from students.District education officials said the school authorities had collected Rs1000 from the students during admission to class XI violating the existing government order. Investigating complaints from guardians, the education department officials found that the school authorities had collected Rs 250 from the students as admission fee, which is way beyond the prescribed admission fee of Rs 72 for schools in urban areas. “The school charged an additional Rs 750 on account of a Women Education Development (Stri Shikhsha Unnayan) fund, which is not related to any government project of the school,” said the DI schools (secondary) Mr Chinmay Sarkar. According to the DI, the school authorities have issued receipts against the Rs 250 charged as admission fee and another receipt of Rs 700 charged for the Women Education Development (Stri Shikhsha Unnayan) fund. “There is no receipt for the remaining Rs 50,” Mr Sarkar, said. One of the victims, Tapasi Mahata was forced to pay Rs1000 as admission fee for class XI inclusive of Rs 700 for WED fund. According to the education department officials, Tapasi belongs to a poor family and her father is a blind man. “Yet they were forced to deposit money”, officials said.“The school authorities will have to refund the excess amounts charged from unwilling students,” said the DI. n SNS