Calcutta HC proposes to set up a committee to look at the accounts of private schools

The High Court of Calcutta proposed the creation of a two-member committee headed by Professor Suranjan Das, Vice-Chancellor of Jadavpur University. The Committee will examine the accounts of private schools following a petition seeking concession on fees due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Division of Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Mushumi Bhattacharya rejected the plea lodged by the petitioner for the relaxation of the previous order for payment of 80 percent of school fees by July 31, 2020.

Parents Ask for Reduction of Fees

The bench, however, extended the payment deadline until next week, while a section of the parents filed a plea to the High Court asking for a reduction in the fee on the grounds that the online classes are run by schools that have reduced the costs.

The other members of the committee shall be appointed by the State Advocate General from among the recently retired heads of the West Bengal Higher Secondary Board or the Secondary Board. The HC also directed that the matter be dealt with today in order to constitute a committee and other related orders.

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Schools to be Analyzed from January to July 

Approximately 112 private schools in Kolkata and other parts of the state have been named in the petition, and within a week the committee will receive accounts on the income and expenditure of the schools involved in the proceedings.

The Court also stated that the data to be provided by the schools should include the figures for the months from January to July 2020.

The High Court also stated that the figures would give the committee an idea of what the normal income and expenditure would be if the schools and what the income and expenditure would be after the closure began in March 2020.

The Bank also stated that the objective is to discover the variable costs involved and the extent of the concession that the schools require to pass on to students and parents.

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