Educational institution across Noida and Greater Noida can not force parents of any student to pay the school fees during the coronavirus lockdown. Neither can they bar pupils from attending online classes as per an official order issued by the Gautam Buddh Nagar District Magistrate Suhas L Y on Saturday. The violation of the order will result in legal action up to a year-long jail term or stringent fine, or both against the offender.

Any violation of the order will invite legal action under provisions of the National Disaster Management Act, 2005 which includes a one-year jail term or fine or both. And if there is any loss of life or property during the violation, the jail term can extend up to two years, the order stated. All schools and colleges across the district were shut down in March like other public places amid an outbreak of coronavirus. Gautam Buddh Nagar has recorded 58 positive cases of COVID-19 so far, according to officials.

On a similar note, the Lucknow district administration has directed all educational institutes in the district not to exert pressure on parents to deposit advance fee of their children. In an order issued here on Sunday, District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash said, “In the duration of emergency following the outbreak of Covid-19, parents should not be pressured to deposit fee and no students should be deprived of online classes. Nor the name of any student be struck-off.”

Once the emergency ends, quarterly fee can be adjusted and parents be informed about it, he said. The Lucknow DM also said that action will be initiated against those who violated this order.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a 21-day lockdown across India till April 14 with an objective to combat the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far claimed thousands of lives worldwide.

Source: PTI