Sixth Pay Commission: Teachers’ dues: school turns to parents

Sixth Pay Commission: Teachers’ dues: school turns to parents

New Delhi With arrears to teachers mounting and the Bansal Committee’s report, to be submitted the government in November, being tabled earlier this week, schools are getting restive.

Shri Ram School has sent notices to parents asking them to submit around Rs 23,000 in three installments towards clearing ‘arrears’ of teachers. The installments are due in January, March and May. Shri Ram School, which runs its junior school in Vasant Vihar and senior wing in Gurgaon, has sent circulars apprising parents of the amount that each student will have to pay.

The school’s senior wing does not come under the purview of the Delhi government and hence the Delhi Education Act does not govern it. But the junior wing, according to school officials, comes under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The circular has been sent to all parents. The managing committee, comprising parents and government representatives, approved the amount, school officials said.

“When the government has asked us to pay the arrears in January and April and implement the pay hike, where else are we supposed to get the money from?” Chairperson and founder of Shri Ram School Manju Bharatram said.

She said it was just a circular informing parents who have children in the Delhi branch that as soon as the government’s decision on the fee hike and arrears comes in, this is the amount they would need to shell out. “This is not a bill. It’s just a circular,” she said.

According to the Education Minister A S Lovely, Education Secretary Rina Ray has asked for 10 days to review the recommendations. Sources say the report recommends that no more than Rs 4,500 should be collected from students for arrears.

In the Shri Ram School, the circular sent out on January 16, fees for 2009-10 school year would be Rs 84,000 after a “major revision”. Currently, the fees are around Rs 79,000. The non-refundable development fund for new admissions (2009-2010) would be around Rs 35,000. Earlier, it was Rs 25,000. The quarterly tuition fees total to Rs 6,300. After factoring in the impact of the Sixth Pay Commission, it would be Rs 6,800, according to the circular.

Towards arrears, two installments of Rs 9,194 each are due in January and March and an installment of Rs 5,264 is due in May.

“The school is not a money-making machine but is run on the fees paid by students,” Bharatram said. “As it is, the delay in the Delhi Government’s decision about the fee hike has delayed the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.”

The arrears are to be paid to the teachers from January 1, 2006, according to the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.

Haryana Education officials said they were clueless about the fee hike issues. Education Minister Mange Ram Gupta could not be reached for comments.

Various other schools have asked parents to expect an increase in fees but are waiting for the government’s decision before they announce the amount due to parents.

Source: http://www.expressindia.com