DI to look into school fee issue

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 16 SEPT: The district inspector (DI) of school (secondary), Mr Chinmay Sarkar, has asked the leaders of the AISA (All India Students’ Association) to submit the list of secondary schools, the authorities of which are yet to return the excess fees to the students. Yesterday, leaders of the AISA, backed by the CPI-ML Liberation, and more than 200 boys and girls and their guardians staged an agitation in front of the DI office and submitted a memorandum. The AISA leaders pointed out the names of nearly 25 secondary schools located in Gazole, Habibpur, Bamongola and Kaliachak areas. Such school authorities did not return excess fees received from the students during admission despite requests. In May of this year, the district inspector of school, Mr Sarkar, had issued an order to all government aided schools informing that he would take stern action against the managing committees and head of the institutions if they did not return excess fees to the students which had been collected from them violating a government order. In the order it was also pointed out that the district education department would report to the board against the headmaster of that school and would suggest dissolving the managing committee if a complaint was lodged after 16 July. “We have already taken stern action against a school (Bamongola High School) and reported to the board against its authorities suggesting that they dissolve the committee,” said Mr Chinmay Sarkar, DI (secondary) Malda. “The deadline of 16 July is over but still we are getting complaints. If the students can furnish a list of such schools and some evidence we would take action against them. We must send report to the board against the schools (based on the list and complaints) to take stern action,” Mr Sarkar said. It may be noted that the government has directed that an admission fee of Rs 63 be taken from each student in the rural belt and Rs 78 from each in the urban belt. But some school authorities have been demanding sums of Rs 200 to Rs 250 from each student. Interestingly, the school authorities issued money receipts for Rs 63 and Rs 78. But they did not issue money receipt for the excess amount to evade the education officials.