Cuttack: The Orissa High Court (OHC) sought Monday a clarification from the state government as to the extent the school fees can be waived, in view of the situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The High Court also directed the government to submit an affidavit in this regard at the earliest and scheduled the next date of hearing December 2. It should be stated here that during the previous hearing the government had requested the bench to deliberate on the matter and take a final call.
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Notably, a petition was earlier filed by a state-level parents’ outfit seeking waiver of fees in private schools of Odisha in view of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Odisha government had clarified its stand on the matter during the hearing November 10.
The ‘Odisha Abhibhabak Mahasangha’ and a few other individuals had moved the Orissa High Court, seeking exemption of tuition fees by private schools across the state. In their plea they said that fees should be waived as students were not being able to attend schools after the government declared COVID-19 outbreak as a ‘disaster’.
PNN