The Himachal Pradesh government on Monday, November 23, 2020 announced that all the schools, colleges and other educational institutions in the state will be closed till December 31. It has also been decided by the state government that winter closing institutions would remain closed from January 1 to February 12, 2021.

The online classes will commence from November 26 and all the teachers of state government schools have been asked to work from home. The online classes would continue even during the wintertime as well.

The decision comes after the state reported a continuous surge in the coronavirus cases. 

Only classes 3 and 4 government employees are allowed to attend offices, with 50 percent capacity, till December 31.

A curfew will be in place from Tuesday to December 15 in Shimla, Mandi, Kangra and Kullu districts from 8 pm to 6 am, state’s Parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Bhardwaj said.

The decision to clamp the fresh curbs was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.

Earlier, the Himachal Pradesh High Court allowed private schools to charge monthly tuition fees and also enforce its collection without charging any fine or late fees charges. 

A Division Bench comprising Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua passed the judgment on two petitions, one filed by the Independent School Associations comprising of 45 schools seeking quashing of notification issued by the Director Education restraining the private schools to charge fee. Another plea was filed by a parent against Lawrence School Sanawar, seeking fee waiver for the session 2020-21 and refund of the already received fees by the school excluding tuition fees.

The court also directed the state to examine the issue of difference between residential/non-residential/partially residential school, that is, applicability of any direction which will be issued by the state.

Source: PTI

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