A section of private schools in Jharkhand demanded that they be allowed to reopen at 50 per cent from January 16 citing a financial crunch due to lack of fee collection during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Telegraph reported. The private school representatives, under the banner of a loosely formed organisation called the Jharkhand Non-Government School Association, wrote to Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Education Minister Jagarnath Mahato, on January 11, informing them about their financial losses as many students attending online classes do not end up paying the fees. The schools have threatened to stop online classes in future.

“We have intimated our concern to the Chief Minister and the State Education Minister and requested that from January 16, the government should consider the opening of schools with 50 per cent students attendance with all COVID-appropriate behaviour. We understand that COVID cases are rising in the state but the government should consider our situation too. Otherwise, we would be compelled to stop online classes from January 16,” the Association’s president Mohammed Tahir Hussain told the daily.  

The Jharkhand government had, on January 3, directed for closure of educational institutions while giving permission for only administrative activities in the institutions at 50 per cent attendance to contain the rapid spread of COVID-19. The association president said that a meeting of private school representatives was held in this regard on January 10. “It was discussed that the government was ignoring the plight of the school during all lockdowns and restrictions owing to the pandemic. We had seen it in 2020, 2021 and even in 2022, while the government eases restrictions on bars, restaurants, shops, markets and even liquor shops during lockdowns, it is the school that has to be closed all the time,” Hussain reportedly said.