With schools closed until further notice due to COVID-19 pandemic, parents and private schools submitted letters to the Education Ministry asking for intervention regarding school fees. Accordingly, the Education Ministry will now carry out an assessment to find out whether private schools are helping students continue their education and come up with a cordial solution.
Students across the country are continuing their education through various platforms such as broadcast media, YouTube and Google classroom among others amid the school closure. The officiating secretary of the Education Ministry said although, learning is not happening in the real classroom setting, teachers and students are equally engaged.
Karma Tshering, the Offg. Secretary for the Education Ministry said parents of the children in private schools have to pay the fees if the schools are taking care of their students academically. “I understand that many of the schools are actually helping students learn even at home and if this is happening I think there is a good reason why we should pay. But if the school management is not taking care of the students then we see no reason why the parents should pay,” he said.
Similarly, the Ministry admitted more than 2000 class X passed students on government scholarship in private schools this year. The payment of the scholarship was kept on hold but after receiving letters from private schools on learning engagement initiatives, the government asked the Ministry to make the payments.
“Now we have a scholarship for the boarding students and day scholar students . So we will deduct some percentage and pay. And what we have been doing now is we have been receiving the confirmed list that they have admitted in school. So very soon we will be paying the scholarship fees,” he added.
There are 38 private schools in the country as of this year.
Sonam Pem
