IMPHAL, October 9: Volunteers of the Joint Students`™ Coordinating Committee today locked the administrative offices of four private schools for not complying with the committee`™s appeal to charge only 30 percent school fees for the month of July and August.
The appeal was made considering the closure of educational institutes in the valley districts during the said period in the wake of ILP agitations in the State.
The four schools are Heritage Convent Uripok, Shishu Nistha Nekatan Mayaikoibi, North Point Higher Secondary School Achanbigei and RK Sanatombi School Pangei, JSCC convenor Jayentakumar Khuman said.
Speaking to media persons, Jayentakumar said the committee had held two meetings on August 16 and September 1 with the All Manipur Recognised Private Schools Welfare Association and the All Manipur Van Drivers Association during which it was agreed that the schools in Imphal and its surrounding areas will charge only 30 percent of school fees of the total amount for the months of July and August.
Further, the school van services had also agreed during the meetings that the services will charge only 50 percent of their fees and teachers will receive only 50 percent of their salaries for the two months.
He said the decisions were arrived at considering that the schools had remained closed for the entire two months due to the ILP agitations.
However, he said, most schools have failed to follow the agreement which was already announced through the media on August 16 and September 1.
As such, the JSCC had warned the schools through the media that starting October 8, the administrative blocks/ rooms will be locked down if the schools fail to comply with the instruction, he said.
He continued a team of the JSCC volunteers led by its convenor Jayentakumar Khuman, media coordinator Sarangthem Manjit and JSCC member Maibam Bidyaraj visited five schools in Imphal and its surrounding areas to check whether the appeal has been complied with.
Of the five schools, only one was found complying with the instruction and as such the administrative blocks of the four others were locked down, he added.
Only Maria Montessori Senior Secondary School was found complying with the instruction during the visit, he added.
`Schools are not meant for profit making, it is a place of learning so the agreement was quite reasonable considering the turmoil faced during the ILP agitations,` said JSCC media coordinator Sarangthem Manjit.
He appealed to those schools that have already collected the full fees to refund it to the students at once.
He said those schools which have been locked down today can only re-open their administrative block/rooms only after giving an assurance that they will follow the JSCC`™s instruction.
JSCC will take further course of action against those schools who have failed to comply with this instruction, he added.