18 December,2020 12:00 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
This picture has been used for representational purposes
Over 200 schools in Mumbai and Thane suspended online classes on Thursday in protest over non-payment of fees. The management of these schools, which comprised mostly of budget private unaided ones, said they were unable to make ends meet as a majority of the parents have not paid fees in the current academic year.
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According to a report in Times of India, school managements and parents have been at loggerheads over fee payment since the onset of the COVID-19 lockdown. Demanding that schools must provide fee discounts as physical classes are suspended, parents said they are facing financial difficulties.
Schools, on the other hand, claimed that their outgoings have only marginally dipped and would, in fact, increase to meet the safety norms when classes resume.
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Schools affiliated to the Private Unaided School Management Association and the Federation of Schools Association of Maharashtra did not hold online classes to gather support for their campaign, 'No Fees, No School'.
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Bharat Mallik, vice-president of the federation, said, "We hope to receive the support from all in helping unaided schools to survive this crisis." He further said, "Our teachers, who have kept the learning continued, are impacted because of non-payment of fees. Their salaries have been cut by more than 50 per cent since the last eight months. Unaided schools are unable to continue the learning process as their reserves have been depleted."
According to the associations, less than 50 per cent of parents pay fees in most schools.
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