The Education department has not yet started the complaint counter and helpline for the hapless parents to register their grievances against private schools in the Capital city of Dehradun, even though the new academic session is slated to start on April 1. The Education department is planning to start the counter in the first week of April which is surprising as most the prominent schools close their process of new admissions in the month of March itself.
last year, the department had set up a complaint counter and a helpline in which many parents registered their grievances. The counter registered 187 complaints by the parents which ranged from asking readmission fees, admission tests, interviews of parents, forcing the parents to buy uniforms and books from specific book shops. The department acted on many complaints and issued notices to many schools. The Chief Education Officer (CEO) of Dehradun SP Khali told The Pioneer that the department would soon start the helpline and complaints counter. He said that parents can also give written complaints at the offices of Block Education Officer or District Education Officer.
The common people however are not convinced by the department’s action and intention. Shalini Sharma a resident of Dalanwala said that the education department should have proper mechanism to register the complaints of the parents. One of the department official conceded that the help line and complaints counter should start in the month of January itself.
Some people like MPS Bisht of Raipur believe that the education department is toothless to deal with the hegemony of the private school owners. He said that the most of the private schools have connection with high and mighty which makes them more or less immune against any punitive action of education department.