NISA demands CBSE to consider challenges faced by private schools due to pandemic 

Ambala: Highlighting the various issues faced by the CBSE affiliated schools, Dr Kulbhushan Sharma, President NISA, sent a letter and demanded the CBSE Chairman, Mr Manoj Ahuja, to reconsider certain directions of CBSE. Due to the pandemic, students, teachers, parents, and school managements are in a huge financial crisis. At this time, CBSE has directed all the schools to oblige to certain orders. But compliance to certain orders at the time of this pandemic is not possible. The education sector is facing severe challenges during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. BPS, specifically, are facing financial crisis as 90% of the parents of these schools are unable to pay the school fee. Imposing late fee fine during this financial crisis is injustice, so CBSE should exempt the late fee fine in order to help the students and parents. State governments too have refrained schools from asking fee from the parents due to which, schools can’t even mandate parents to pay the fee.

Also, the board charges Rs 10,000/- each for teacher training and sports fee at the time of registration of students from class IX to XXII. But because of the lockdown, there was no physical training in the last six months and only online trainings have been conducted by CBSE in lieu of the on-site training. It is necessary to waive off the teacher training fee and sports fee for the current academic year.

Then the board charges Rs 5000/- as a registration fee from students for change of school name. Due to COVID-19, families have migrated. Therefore, the students too have shifted to different cities. It is unfair to charge the parents/students with additional fee while the families are forced to migrate due to financial stress. It is necessary to consider all these issues and support the parents and students during this pandemic.

Madhusudhan Sadula, Vice President (Advocacy) NISA, said, “CBSE is forcing us to comply with all the OASIS related submission. Many students are absent in school activities for the last six months. Schools cannot cancel their admission from school record adhering to the government instructions. It has come to our knowledge that many students (pre-nursery to class VIII) have been taking admission in other schools without taking the transfer certificate from the present schools where they are enrolled. So how will the schools finalise the data for OASIS submission when the last date for the same in 30 September, 2020?”