Offline classes have resumed and along with it, the transportation charges in several schools located in the Delhi-NCR region have gone up too. In a few schools, it has gone up by as much as 30 per cent.
Principals cited the reason as the diesel prices, which have been going up for a while now, while parents say that it is an extra source of income for schools.
It was the opinion of Delhi Parents Association (DPA) President, Aprajita Gautam, that schools are hiking up their transportation charges to double or even triple of what it was earlier because it is additional revenue for them.
"Now, instead of opting for this unaffordable option parents are using other alternatives like carpooling or private cabs, as transportation fees are adding financial burden to the already suffering middle class," she said, as quoted in a report by PTI.
When the pandemic descended and we all went online, including schools, no transportation fee was being charged. But with the resumption of offline classes, the charges are high, even more than they were during the pre-pandemic days.
Rudra Dutt, a parent who chose not to share the school name his two children study in, informed how schools are saying that the transportation costs have gone up and in this regard, they are helpless. He asked what the parents are supposed to do. Since both he and his wife are working, they can't drop their children to school hence, school transport is a safe but high-cost option.
Private transporters, as well as schools, have shot up their transportation charges and Rishu Dhingra, a parent from Gurugram, preempted that soon, the tuition fee, which has remained the same for the last two years, will be hiked too.
On the condition of anonymity, a principal of a private school shared how diesel prices have shot up and despite going through many negotiations with the transporters, they refused to budge and match the earlier prices.
Another principal of a top private school shared, "The situation has changed considerably in the past two years, both in terms of supply chain and economic viability. It's not fair to be expecting the same prices from transporters, especially in view of the exorbitant price rises. We understand parents' concerns too, but we have tried to keep the hike as low as possible."
In the Delhi-NCR region, schools closed in March 2020 ahead of the national lockdown induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. When schools started opening in phases, students were permitted to attend only with the consent of their parents.
Saransh Sharma, a Dwarka resident, shared how she wasn't sending her kids to school as the school wasn't providing any transport because of the limited number of children who were availing the service. Now, with the suspension of online classes, transport is being provided but the prices are really high, she says.
