RAUTAHAT, OCTOBER 6

Community schools shut for months due to COVID-19 have started reopening in Rauathat.

All community schools located at Fatuwa Bijayapur and Garuda municipalities are set to start classes from October 8.

Fatuwa Bijayapur Municipality Education Coordinator Bunilala Yadav said that a meeting held today had decided to reopen community schools as online classes and alternative teaching methodology had become ineffective.

Fatuwa’s Mayor Gopal Prasad said that schools would start classes by maintaining physical distance as prescribed by the government and abiding by health and safety measures.

Rautahat District Education Coordination Unit Rautahat Chief Ram Binay Kumar Singh said all schools would start classes in Garuda Municipality area from October 8 abiding by health guidelines and safety measures.

Community schools in Rautahat headquarters Gaur started classes last Monday. Juddha Secondary School at Gaur Municipality has run into controversy due to fees collected from students.

Parents and guardians complained that the school was fleecing students coming from other schools for new admission.

It is learnt that the school is charging Rs 2,720 from a student for admission under headings such as textbooks, tie belt, identity card and monthly fee. The number of students getting enrolled in Juddha Secondary School is high.

When employees at the account section were asked about the fee, they suggested that Rakesh Gupta be asked this question.

Gaur Municipality Chief Ajay Kumar Gupta said that the school might have collected fees as it would offer classes in English. “But the school cannot charge for textbooks as they are available for free,” said Ajay Gupta.

Parents and guardians accused the local level of doing nothing though the school was charging fee from students.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on October 7, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.