Restart Right with Education

The High Court of Judicature at Madras an interim order yesterday to allow private unaided educational to collect the fees. The petitioner pleaded against the State Government Order by State of Tamil Nadu to seek online collection of fees for the academic year 2020-21.

The petitioner pleaded that the Government order virtually halted to collect fees virtual for next academic year. The private unaided institution depends upon the fees to restart their operations during this unlock phase. In order to revive from economic breakdown, all stakeholders to society are restarting their operations.

The court was under a crucial time while hearing the legal proceeding as: – 

the court had to prioritize the issue of a private institute to kick start their operations

an interim order has to consider all stakeholders such as parents of students, teachers, non-teaching staff etc needed to strike a balance interest in an interim order. 

The deadly virus has no fixed date to know when things will be normal, for which education of the future should not be suffered.

After all consideration, the court directed as follows: –

40% of the tuition fee as an advance fee should be paid before 31 August, with the tuition fee amount determined according to fee payments of the preceding academic year.

35% of this year’s fees can be collected once schools resume their regular functioning, within two months of reopening,

Outstanding fee amounts from the previous academic sessions (if any), to be paid before September 30.

No refund of fees if any student paid entirely fees.

The Fee committee needs to initiate to determine the fee payable to a private unaided institution of Tamil Nadu by the beginning of August.

Teaching and non-teaching shall not insist on any increment in salary until further order of this court.

The state government direct to consider to supply textbooks and notebooks to the student and notebooks at free of cost or nominal as per the request of a private institution.

Justice N Anand Venkatesh passed the order and the batch of pleas has been posted for further hearings on October 5, 2020.