Children and workers from a closed garden in the Dooars break stones on the Torsha riverbed. Picture by S.C. Bose

Jaigaon, May 23: Kalchini Hindi High School has lowered its annual fees from Rs 63 to Rs 50 for students coming from the closed tea estates in the Dooars.

Earlier, all schools in the Alipurduar subdivision had agreed to charge these students no more than Rs 63 per year, which is the rate fixed by the government.

However, the Jalpaiguri zilla parishad today steered clear of committing itself to a demand for full waiver of fees.

“It may not be possible to waive the entire amount,” said sabhadhipati Banamali Roy after a meeting on the issue with RSP MLA from Alipurduar Nirmal Das, Alipurduar subdivisional officer P.D. Pradhan and Kalchini block development officer Raju Sherpa. “But the students can write to the schools asking for partial waiver and it is up to the school authorities to take a decision.”

Roy said the schools charged extra fees, over and above Rs 63, so that the institutions are run properly. “If large portion of the schools’ income is affected, the authorities might be forced to close them,” Roy said.

The leader of the opposition in the zilla parishad, Mohan Sharma of the Congress, criticised the sabhadhipati’s decision. “It is a shame that the administration is totally apathetic towards the plight of these children who are dropping out and taking up menial jobs in Bhutan or other parts of the country,” he said.

Sharma, who is the president of the block Congress committee of Kalchini, said his party has decided to distribute free textbooks to students from three closed gardens — Kalchini, Raimatang and Chinchula.

“We will distribute the books among children studying between Classes VI and VIII in schools located in the Kalchini block. I think about a thousand children will benefit,” Sharma said.