"The school administration has been found charging huge amounts under the heading of School Development," DoE Deputy Director Bal Bahadur Karki told Republica. However, DoE is yet to find out whether the entire amount has been collected.One of the blocks at the school was damaged in the April 25 earthquake and it later failed a safety check. It received a red sticker during inspections by a technical team. "The current circular to guardians to pay the amount is intended to cover the damage," said Subhash Bhandari, a member of the Guardians Association of Nepal.
Meanwhile, the school's vice-principal, Prabhu Lal Sah, said that the charge was not at all for covering the earthquake damage. According to him, the school should have charged the money under some other head to avoid unnecessary controversy.
"Every school raises annual fees from guardians, and we have also done the same, asking Rs 15,000 this time. But we made a mistake in calling it 'school development charge," claimed Sah.
Similarly, another renowned school - Ullens at Khumaltar- has made temporary arrangements for it 750 students as they hesitated to study inside the school's multi- story building. Rs 12,000 per student has been charged for the extra expenses.
The guardian of a second grader at the school told Republica that a school bill of Rs 48,000 was sent home recently. The amount includes the monthly fees for Baisakh and Jeth and Rs 12,000 for the the temporary arrangements. Interestingly, the government had earlier issued a directive to the schools to charge only half the fees for the month of Baishakh. "The school has also assured us that the 26 days of academic lapse will be convered. In view of the entire situation and their promises to smoothen things, we feel that we have not been cheated in any way," said the guardian, requesting anonymity.
However, Som Paneru, president of Ullens School, claimed that the fee was not mandatory. "Only those who are willing to support the school would be giving that money. We have not forced them," he said.
Meanwhile, PABSON Chairperson Lacche Bahadur KC said that his organization has repeatedly appealed to the schools not to make parents pay for reconstruction.
"It is not fair to raise money from the parents for repairing any kind of damage to the schools. We have asked the schools to see to this. The parents need to extend their support only if they are willing," KC told Republica.
On the other hand, speaking further about the matter, Karki said that monitoring of the schools would continue and action would be taken against schools not abiding by the ministry's directive. "The district education offices concerned would be seeking clarifications from the schools after further investigations."
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