Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday requested private schools not to hike fees this year because “people don’t have money to spend”.

“I would request private schools not to hike fees this year, considering that people are facing hardships now,” Mamata told a news conference at Nabanna.

“Please don’t increase the fees or extra charges as people will face inconvenience. People don’t have money to spend. We saw the impact of two or three (decisions). One is demonetisation (notebandi), the other is lockdown (gharbandi). During demonetisation, people were left without cash. During lockdown, you still have your ghar (home) but arranging two meals is difficult,” the chief minister said.

There are two components in school fees, monthly and annual. The annual fees are linked to co-curricular activities and practicals, like computer classes, Internet and library facilities, sports, electricity and session charges.

Parents are concerned about paying the fees at a time when the economy has gone into a slump because of the pandemic. Many parents have had to take pay cuts and their jobs are insecure.

An official of the school education department said they hoped the private schools would pay heed to the chief minister’s appeal.

Metro had reported on Tuesday about a meeting of the association of Anglo Indian school heads that discussed possible waivers in school fees during the financial crisis triggered by the pandemic.