Friday, 03 MAY 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Education department has decided to form five teams to oversee the operations of private schools that raise their fees and pressurise students into purchasing costly books instead of following the NCERT guidelines. Regarding this, the Chief Education Officer (CEO) Pradeep Rawat informed that this decision was made in response to multiple complaints received from parents and concerned individuals in regard to the annual fee increments. He also pointed out that many private schools have been compelling parents to buy expensive books instead of utilising NCERT material, all in the pursuit of higher profits. Each team comprising four members will be tasked with inspecting private schools within the district based on a set of 10 criteria outlined by the department, he said.
He further added that the inspections will involve a thorough examination of school documents and minority certificates by the Education department officials assigned to each team. Apart from this, during the inspection students will also undergo verification to ensure they are not being coerced into purchasing school uniforms from specified shops and the use of NCERT books will be monitored by authorised teams. Additionally, the team will scrutinise the number of school children covered under the Right to Education (RTE) Act as well as the school management committee. If any school is found to be non-compliant with these regulations, the Education department will take strict action against it including the possibility of revoking the affiliation of private schools in severe cases, Rawat said.
It will be recalled that regarding the increased prices of books, member of State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Vinod Kaparwan had earlier emphasised that the Education department should establish a monitoring committee to inspect private schools and prevent parents from being misled into purchasing costly books from specific booksellers that are mandated by the schools.
