Education minister Partha Chatterjee on Saturday warned private institutions that necessary action would be taken if they refused to obey the government’s order announcing the closure of all schools, colleges and universities till April 15.

Chatterjee reminded the educational institutions that chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s announcement applied not just to government-run and state-funded schools, colleges and universities but also to all private institutions.

The education minister appealed to all private institutions to “understand the gravity of the crisis” and follow the government directive as much as possible.

“This is my earnest appeal to all the schools to understand the gravity of the crisis. Please remember private schools are not out of the purview of the directives that have been issued by the government in connection with the outbreak of coronavirus,” Chatterjee said.

Several private educational institutions have been keeping their campuses open and allowing too many people on the premises for academic and administrative purposes, Chatterjee observed.

The minister said the school education department had received complaints from several guardians over the past few days alleging that authorities of some private institutions had asked them and their wards to be present on the campus even after the chief minister announced the closure of all institutions till April 15.

Each and every school, college and university has been asked to keep all academic and administrative activities suspended till April 15. But many guardians and students of private institutions have been complaining to me and my department that they are being regularly asked to visit the campuses for some reason or the other. This has to stop. The chief minister’s announcement makes it clear that the closure applies to all categories of institutions — government-run and private,” Chatterjee said at a press conference.

Metro had reported on March 20 how several schools, colleges and universities were insisting that their teachers and non-teaching staff report for work despite the chief minister’s announcement.

The chief minister had on Monday extended the shutdown of educational institutions till April 15.

She had said that “teachers will work from home” and only those employees involved in emergency administrative work such as preparing salary slips needed to turn up.

But some private schools were regularly meeting parents to discuss promotions and performance of their students, a senior official of the school education department said.

At several schools, teachers and non-teaching staff are taking turns to report for work.

In some private colleges and universities, teachers are being asked to visit the campuses for preparing study materials being used for online classes for students, a source in the higher education department said.