Rejecting the allegations leveled by the management of some private schools, the chairperson of State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) Usha Negi said that various anomalies are continuing in different private schools which are detrimental to the interests of children.
According to Negi, many private schools are not following the guidelines as per the norms of CBSE, the government of India, Supreme Court and High Court. There are number of schools that have not appointed a child psychologist, counsellor, or formed POCSO committee as per the rules of CBSE. Besides, many schools have not given admission to children under Right to Education (RTE) Act and schools which admitted children under RTE are discriminating against them, she said.
“When I was inspecting one private school I noticed that the school administration had mentioned ‘RTE Student’ in the identity cards of the students who were admitted under RTE Act. Subsequently, I issued the letter to the management regarding such discrimination after which such identity cards were withdrawn,” said Negi. Citing another example of discrimination against students in private schools, Negi said that the management of another private school had prohibited RTE students from participating in any kind of school competitions. Besides, the names of such students were also displayed outside their respective classes. SCPCR also intervened in this matter because such incidents that humiliate and label students deeply affect them.
It is pertinent to mention here that recently the Principals Progressive Schools’ Association (PPSA) accused the SCPCR of unnecessary interference in the functioning of private schools. However the Uttarakhand Abhibhavak Sangh (UAS) came out in support of SCPCR stating that child rights commission is working for the welfare of children as well as the parent against the harassment of private schools.