Several schools in central India, some of them Church-managed, averted a crisis when students began to pay tuition fees, which they had stopped on allegations that these schools collected excessive fees in the past.
“We have been struggling to pay the salary to our teachers as many parents refused to pay the fees of their children this year,” said Father Thankachan Jose, who is dealing with the court cases of his Jabalpur diocese in Madhya Pradesh state.
The parents had stopped paying school fees to their children in 11 schools, most of them Christian-run, accusing them of collecting excess fees in the previous six academic years. The parents also filed 20 petitions seeking the inter-vention of the High Court, the top court in the state, to get the alleged excess money collected refunded to them.
Christian leaders say the allegation stems from an anti-Christian atmosphere in the state, where the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party runs the government. “We are relieved now after parents began to pay the tuition fees after court, through its interim order, took a clear stand, Jose told.
He told on Feb. 20 that the differing parents began to pay fees following a Feb. 13 High Court order that asked parents to clear all fee dues to the respective schools within one month.
The court said if the parents fail to pay fees, schools are allowed to withhold the annual results of the students.