In an example of how disdainfully the owners of private schools treat the orders of the High Court and the State Government, very few schools have cared to reply to the show cause notice issued by the education department on the violation of the HC order involving National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) books in the schools.
Following the HC order on NCERT text books, the State education department had conducted an inquiry in Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital districts. On the basis of the finding of the inquiry, the department had issued notices to 181 schools located in these districts on September 18. With many of the schools failing to reply to the notices, a red-faced education department is now preparing to file a report in the HC against these schools in a prelude to start contempt proceedings against them.
The department had warned these schools through the notices of cancelling their no-objection certificates (NOC) in view of their non-compliance with the HC order. The notice had asked these schools to submit their replies before October 4. The Pioneer has learnt that less than 50 schools out of 181 have cared to reply the show cause notice slapped on them. Things in Udham Singh Nagar district- home to the State education minister Arvind Pandey-are the worst as just one out of 19 schools to which notices had been sent has replied to the notice.
Some schools which submitted their replies have said that they have implemented reference books in accordance with the HC order while others have said that they have only implemented non- NCERT books on grammar, art and computer-subjects on which NCERT does not publish books.
Contacted by The Pioneer, the Director General (DG), school education, Captain Alok Shekar Tiwari said that the department would examine the replies submitted by the schools and take appropriate action subsequently.
He, further, said that the department has set up block level committees to monitor the status of implementation of the NCERT books. On a terse note, the DG said that the department would submit a report to the HC, saying that some schools are not following its order on NCERT books.
Tiwari said that as per the State Government’s order and the HC order, all schools affiliated by CBSE and Uttarakhand Board must implement books of NCERT. “The schools can recommend reference books but they cannot be foisted on the students and their quality and price must be compatible with the NCERT books,” he clarified.