Online class suspension affects more than 2 million students

Kathmandu: Private Schools have suspended online classes from yesterday. Private institutions had been organizing online classes from June 16. However, reasoning that they were not allowed to charge a fee to the students, National Private and Boarding Schools’ Association, Nepal (N-PABSON) and Private and Boarding Schools’ Organisation, Nepal (PABSON) issued a press release saying that they have to suspend the online classes.

“For us, the only income source is student fees. As we are not able to collect the fees, it is very extremely difficult for us to pay salary, house rent, electricity bills, bank loan and different other logistic costs,” added Tikaram Puri, president NPABSON. We have also been informing the government regarding our crisis. But they have always been turning a blind eye.” Puri said that now the schools will resume the online classes only after government addresses their demand. The government should also provide certain revenue to us, otherwise, we can’t sustain, he said.

According to Kesahav Puri, president of Guardian Associations Nepal, the schools have violated the fundamental rights of more than two million students.

“The school has a problem with the government. But this does not mean they can do whatever they wish. They are being irresponsible towards the student’s right to education,” said he said.

 

 

He said that the schools and parents have to work on mutual understanding. “We have been supporting the demand for schools. But schools have to work to protect the right of students,” he said.

According to Bidhya Nath Koirala, education expert neither the teachers nor PABSON, NPABSON and government are concerned about students. Ignorance of the Ministry of Education and the haphazard decision of PABSON and NPABSON led to the suspension of online classes.

Private schools had demanded the government to allow them to raise admission fee to maintain the logistics cost of school. However, the government denied their demand saying that this would be a burden for the parents at this time of economic and health crisis.