BHOPAL: After businesses, now educational institutions including universities, schools and colleges are bracing to go cashless.
On Tuesday, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan told a meeting, “Educational institutions in Madhya Pradesh will adopt cash-free transactions.” Before that, UGC and CBSE had issued circulars regarding cashless transactions.
Talking to Free Press Journal Shailesh Zope, principal of Anand Vihar School said, “Our school had started accepting payments through cheque from November. It may be a mere co-incidence but we started cashless transactions before demonetisation. Earlier, we only accepted cash. Actually people had problems in making cash payments. Now parents have to just put the cheques in a drop box”.
He added that “We are also planning to provide online transaction facility from the next year.”
“We are accepting credit and debit cards and cheques for the past six months. We are also accepting cash. But after the CBSE circular, we won’t take cash payments. And per the circular, we are going to give option for e-banking transactions like RTGS from next month”, said Rajesh Kumar Sharma, Principal of Bal Bhavan School.
Vinod Goswami, accountant at Career College says, “We have a mixed policy. We take payment by DDs, cheques and e-banking including RTGS. Some people also make cash payments. But as per the circular issued by the state government, we will not take cash payment after December 15. We have also applied for POS machine but bankers are saying it’ll take one month to install it. Jab tak POS machine nahi aati tab tak pehle jaisa chelaga.”
“In our school, fees has been collected in June-July. So now we do not need to accept any kind of payment but we have got a letter from the state government saying that cash should not be accepted. But it does not list the alternatives.
I think, training should be provided in government schools for teachers,” said R.N Yadav, Principal of Kamla Nehru School.
Ajay Sharam, PRO of Oriental College says, “From the very beginning, we are using online payment through cheque and internet banking for tuition fee. We don’t have POS machine but we’ll have to get it soon.” “As per circular, issued by the state government, we have stopped accepting cash.
From now on, students can make any payment using their debit and credit cards. For this, we have four POS machines. No cash would be taken from now,” said principal of MLB College Dr. Induprabha Tiwari adding that “In the coming days; we are also planning for cashless transaction through e-banking.”
Siddhartha Chaturvedi, director of AISECT University said “We are planning to conduct a two- or three-day training in which we will educate students how to do cashless transactions and why it is important. We will acquire a POS machine and e-wallet of SBI. Till now, we have been taking payments by DDs and in cash. Now, cash is not an option.”
