Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Dec 21: "I am facing the huge challenge of driving away the mistrust that has been created between the parents and private schools because of the pandemic. Towards meeting this challenge, I request both the parents and the private school managements to extend to me healthy cooperation," appealed education minister, S Suresh Kumar, in his Facebook post.

The topic of private schools and school fees has become the crux of hot debates many times. Congress leaders had even accused the education minister of conniving with the private educational institute management. In response, Suresh Kumar said that being a minister, this is one of the biggest challenges among others he has been facing. He pointed out that in the friction between private schools and parents, it is necessary to think about the situation in which the children are in.

"Under these circumstances, the responsibility of finding a solution that is beneficial for both the sides has been vested with me. This is a very difficult problem. Other than the rich schools, the middle class schools that are better known as 'budget schools' are facing a lot of problems. From the beginning since the coronavirus problem cropped up, I have always taken the side of parents. The schools have to understand the situation faced by parents. At the same time, the parents should think about how the teachers of the schools lead their lives," he suggested.

Kumar said he understands the condition of the private school teachers and the parents. He said he is aware that many financially sound parents are dithering from playing school fee citing COVID19. He noted that some parents who were financially strong had admitted children in private schools through recommendations and standing in queue, but now they are raising slogans against the same schools. He commented that he knows that many parents have lost their jobs in the meantime and school teachers are not getting paid.