Srinagar, May 12 (KNS): Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) on Tuesday flayed the government’s bail out offer to private educations institutions for collection of fee from students who are out of schools since the commencement of lockdown over COVID pandemic.

According to statement issued to KNS, JKAP leader Irfan Naqeeb, observed that instead of realizing the difficulties faced by the parents in managing the continuity in academic activities of their children, the government seems more concerned about commercial interests of private schools in Jammu and Kashmir.

“There seems to be no logic behind government’s appeal to private schools to defer collection of tuition fee from students when the schools are shut since March, 2020 because of the COVID pandemic. One fails to understand, how can the administration be so apathetic toward parents who are already reeling under immense economic difficulties because of the lockdown?” the JKAP leader remarked.

He said the government claims about imparting online education to children is an absolute fiasco! “Most of the parents are unable to download important study material or connect to video classes arranged by schools in absence of high speed mobile internet. Instead of restoring 4G mobile internet services, the government resorts to snapping of low speed internet and even bars people from calling facilities for days together. All the claims of arranging online classes in such a situation falls flat,” Naqeeb opined.

He observed that the people in general are suffering from tremendous economic distress due to the COVID-19 and a major section of the society is on the brunt of starvation particularly in city peripheries and rural areas. “In such a precarious situation the government should waive off the school fee in its entirety for the months for which the schools remain closed,” the JKAP leader demanded.

Naqeeb said that instead of asking the schools to go for deferment of fee collection from economically shattered parents, the government must extend some economic package to the schools to continue to meet their staff and infrastructural commitments amid the lockdown.

“We fully understand that in the prevailing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are general hardships of the self employed businesses especially schools who are committed to provide quality standards of infrastructure, teaching and deliverables to their students. But instead of kneeling down under the pressure of school associations and putting the entire burden on the shoulders of parents, the government must extend some financial help to these schools to strike a balance,” Naqeeb demanded. (KNS)