{"id":10151,"date":"2022-11-09T12:23:16","date_gmt":"2022-11-09T12:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/?p=10151"},"modified":"2026-04-28T05:38:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T05:38:04","slug":"how-can-affordable-private-schools-overcome-the-financial-burden-imposed-by-covid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varthana.com\/school\/how-can-affordable-private-schools-overcome-the-financial-burden-imposed-by-covid\/","title":{"rendered":"How can Affordable Private Schools overcome the financial burden imposed by covid?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Affordable private schools (APS) are under significant financial shock after the pandemic. Teachers have reported losing jobs, having their salaries cut or wages not being paid at all. Thousands of APS have been closed, with the rest struggling to survive. Many APS could not provide remote learning support to students through the pandemic due to a lack of technical support and funds. Here, we will talk about the financial burden faced by APS post covid and also discuss how they can overcome these challenges.<\/p>\n

What are Affordable Private Schools?<\/b><\/p>\n

UNESCO<\/span><\/a><\/span> defines the APS as any school which is not operated by the government but controlled and managed by a private body (e.g. community, foundation, faith-based organisation, NGO, private proprietor enterprise). Other terms for APS are non-government, non-public and non-state.<\/span><\/p>\n

APS are loosely characterized as low-fee schools whose operation is not supported by government funds. As per the ministry of statistics of India’s report (MoSPI2019), 45% of students in private schools pay less than \u20b9500 a month as fees, suggesting that the majority of the sector is “low-fee” or “affordable.” <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Fees<\/p>\n

Image source<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Causes of financial problems during the pandemic in APS\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

School fees collection<\/b><\/p>\n

APS faced a significant financial hit due to non payment of school fees. Parents from these schools are usually from lower-income groups and depend on their daily income for day-to-day livelihood. In urban areas, these parents are usually employed in small businesses like building construction, housekeeping, security services or small offices, with a salary range between \u20b98,000 to \u20b920,000 per month. Most of these jobs were at stake due to the pandemic and so parents could not pay their children’s school fees.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"CTA\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Reverse Migration<\/b><\/p>\n

The <\/span>2020 ASER report<\/span><\/a><\/span> noted that between 2018 to 2020, boys’ enrollment increased from 62.8% to 66.4% in government schools and enrollment of girls increased from 70% to 73%. As this happens, Affordable Private Schools lose more students and come under <\/span>severe financial distress<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Lack of surplus cash<\/b><\/p>\n

Affordable Private Schools do not run with huge cash surpluses from their past operations, unlike elite private schools. Any surplus is reinvested in infrastructures like benches, labs, classrooms, libraries, sports equipment, ICT boards, computers and school vans. As a result, APS did not have excess reserves to take care of their operations costs, such as salaries, rent and other day-to-day operating expenses. So, overall COVID-19 left APS’s finances in shambles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also Read: <\/span><\/i>5 Reasons Why School Infrastructure Is Important for A Child\u2019s Growth<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Court’s order of school fees relaxation<\/b><\/p>\n

In 2020, a <\/span>judgement by the Supreme court of India<\/span><\/a><\/span>, as well as several high courts across the country, ordered thousands of private unaided schools to grant a 15% deduction in annual school fees for unutilised facilities, including recurring costs on various items such as electricity, petrol\/diesel, maintenance cost, water charges, stationery charges, etc. These orders had relieved parents suffering under the burden of school fees payment and that crippled the operations of APS further.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lack of Government support<\/b><\/p>\n

The government has been chiefly oblivious to the distress of the APS. APS have not been accounted for in policy decisions. <\/span>Reports<\/span><\/a><\/span> have stated that many reimbursements for unaided schools have been pending under the Right to Education Act of 2009. The government also did not help waive property tax or lower interest on borrowings.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Different ways to ease the financial burden of APS:<\/span><\/h3>\n