By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Mar. 31: The Sunday announcement of the relief package by the government has drawn unfriendly reactions from the owners of the private schools stating that the government asked the private schools not to charge the tuition fee for a month without consulting them.
A day after the announcement of such relief package, private school owners expressed their dissatisfaction over the decision of the government. They blamed the government announced the decision without consulting them. They also said they could not offer the discount.
Tika Puri, chairperson of Private and Boarding School Association Nepal (PABSON), said though the classes were not running now, the schools had to pay salaries to their teachers and staff members, many schools are operating in rented buildings and many schools have to pay monthly installment of bank loans. In such a situation, they cannot implement the decision of the government, Puri said.
Puri said PABSON was positive to implement the government decision if the latter would manage some subsidy in its expenses, Puri said. Rituraj Sapkota, chairperson of National Private and Boarding School Association Nepal (NPABSON), said the announcement of the government without consultation was surprising for them though the government had held meeting time and again for the management of quarantine in private schools.
"It sounds good to give relief to guardians in this state of pandemic, however, private schools are not in a position to provide cent per cent discount. It seems unfair that when the relief package has a provision to give only 25 per cent discount in other facilities, schools have been asked to give cent per cent discount," Sapkota added.
Sapkota also added that it was not the right time to talk about school fee as school owners and students are not in schools. Many private school owners are ready to support the government fight against the virus, but they have become demotivated from one-sided decision of the government, he added.
Both PABSON and NPABSON stated that they would sit with the government after the end of virus fear to discuss the issue.
Besides, the discount package includes a 25% discount on electricity for consumers who use more than 150 units every month and no penalty if utility bills and tax payments are not cleared till mid-April. The government has asked Internet Service Providers to extend a 25% discount to customers on data and voice call packages. The government has also asked landlords to exempt rent of one month.