English Medium School Association of Bangladesh on Saturday demanded government incentive for continuing their operations and paying salaries to the teachers and employees amid coronavirus outbreak.
Association convenor Quazi Taif Sadat said that they sent an application to education minister Dipu Moni seeking the incentive arguing that the schools were struggling to pay salaries to the teachers and employees as the parents were not paying tuition fees.
‘Though we are operating online classes, many guardians are not paying tuition fees. Under the present circumstances, we cannot even press them to pay. So, we demand soft loan from the government,’ Taif said.
‘About 10 lakh educated people are serving as teachers and office staff at over 20 thousand English-medium schools in the country. Most of them are now struggling to survive getting no salary,’ he added.
Landlords are also mounting pressure on them for house rent, he added.
The association represents owners, teachers and staff of 850 English-medium schools, said Taif, a director of Uttara-based Jahan International School.
Some guardians have, however, demanded that the English-medium schools should take 60 per cent of the tuition fees during the coronavirus outbreak.
They told that the online classes introduced by the schools were not convenient for the students.
Education minister Dipu Moni could not be reached for comments.
Dhaka Education Board chairman Md Ziaul Haque said that the board gave registrations to the schools, those follow foreign syllabus and examination systems, on the condition that they would seek no government support.
‘The same condition is also applicable for all non-government and kindergarten schools that follow local curriculum and examination systems,’ he said.
‘Giving soft loans to all the English medium schools, kindergartens and non-government schools for continuing their operations amid coronavirus outbreak depends on the wish of the highest authority,’ Ziaul said.
Board officials said that about 1,000 schools that follow foreign curriculum took registration from the board and others were operating with trade licence only.
