Srinagar, Mar 6: Amid complaints over lack of transport at many private schools in Kashmir being attributed by the managements to a “financial crunch” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Private Schools Association of Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK) on Sunday announced a revised bus fare rate in a bid to strike a middle ground to solve the crisis.
Since schools reopened in the valley last week, many parents have been complaining that the schools have dumped the buses leaving their wards high and dry for the transport facility.
A PSAJK spokesman on Sunday cited a new directive by the authorities to charge the transport fee under a different head he said will have to be charged at a higher rate.
“Earlier schools used to merge the academic and transportation fee accounts together, to provide transport services to students at a reasonable rate. But now the situation has entirely changed. The School Fee Committee recommends keeping transportation and academic fee accounts as separate ones, so one cannot subsidise transportation on the back of academic fee, ” the PSAJK spokesman said.
The school association also cited the pandemic it said had rendered the bus fleets “almost defunct” while the maintenance charges, road taxes and loan interest have remained unchanged “creating a huge liability”.
“In the current situation when everyone is facing financial crunch the working of transportation at previous rates is impossible. The price of diesel and petrol has increased by a big margin during the last three years adding to the woes,” the PSAJK said.
The PSAJK informed it has fixed the bus fare rate as follows: Rs 1950 per month for 0-5 km distance and Rs 2450 per month for 5-10 km with Rs 45 hike for every additional km thereafter.
“All schools have been directed to charge only 50 % during off periods extending to one month or more,” it said.
“Furthermore there will be only 50% transportation fee during non-operational period/winter vacations.”
The association said the decision was taken on the basis of deliberations by the PSAJK executive body saying it had “tried to approach SRTC to help schools arrange vehicles on urgent basis which was not found feasible on account of cost per seat”.
“SRTC has a 26 days cycle of payment. For 19 seater, they charge 85,280 which amounts to Rs 4488 per seat per month without helper. And for 50 seater they would charge Rs 1,50000 which amounts to Rs 3000 per seat per month. 30 seater buses were not available but 50 seater busses cannot ply on interior roads,” the association said.
“A large number of parents have already said that they cannot afford such charges due to economic situation and PSAJK understands it fully. The Association said that if everybody tries to stick to their hard stand, no progress can be achieved,” it added.
“So it was decided to fix the rates for school buses and put the anxiety of both parents and school administration to rest”.
It said that in case of any grievances parents have been requested to call the grievance cell of PSAJK on this number 7889578450, 01942471110.
The Association said that it is a “temporary arrangement and it needs a permanent solution for which government needs to step forward too”.
“Schools have to incur huge expenses on transportation. We appeal government to waive off interest of our EMIs, road tax, fitness charges and other miscellaneous charges. Government should also defer installing of GPS in school busses which otherwise is a huge expense for schools,” it said.