Delhi Lieutenant Governor, Vinai Kumar Saxena has lambasted the Directorate of Education (DoE) for showing utter lack of consideration and due diligence and acting as an obstructionist rather than facilitator of education related to Ganga International School, Rohini in the national Capital. He has flagged the “irresponsible and callous attitude of officers resulting in unnecessary litigation”.
Disposing an appeal in favor of an elementary school who’s recognition had been denied by the DoE, despite the school having fulfilled all necessary criteria, the LG has observed that ‘the department (DoE) which is entrusted with responsibility of development of school education in Delhi has shown utter lack of consideration and due diligence’.
‘The Education Department is expected to be a facilitator and not act as an obstructionist’, the LG has ruled.Directing the DoE to immediately provide the school with necessary recognition pending unjustifiably since 2009 (13 years) subject to it fulfilling all other norms, the LG observed that the impugned order issued by DoE is cryptic, non-speaking and passed without application of mind.
The Education Department is expected to be a facilitator and not act as an obstructionist," sources in Raj Niwas said.
This judicial order will disposed of the appeal filed under Section 4(3) of Delhi Education Act 1973, read with rule 58 of Delhi School Education Rules 1973, that designates the Lt. Governor of Delhi as the Judicial Appellate Authority, against the impugned order dated 16.07.2019, issued by the Deputy Director of Education, District North-West (B), GNCTD.
The said order of the Deputy Director had conveyed the decision of the Director, DoE rejecting the appellant's request for grant of recognition up to elementary level.
The matter was heard by the L-G on July 27, wherein the counsels of the appellant which is Ganga International School, Rohini and the respondents that is DoE and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) were present. The LG heard the counsel of the appellant.
Ganga International school was granted essentiality certificate that is required for application for land, by the DoE on July 3, 2002. The DDA allotted land measuring 800 sq. mtrs. to the school vide letter dated 16.04.2003 and upon payment of the requisite amount asked the school to take possession of the land vide letter dated 19.08.2003. After obtaining approval the school building was constructed in accordance with sanctioned plan and the school entered into a perpetual lease deed on 27.12.2004.The school applied for recognition by the DoE on 20.02.2009. However, the DoE, inexplicably waited for 07 years before seeking some clarifications from the schools on 07.12.2015. The school responded on 21.12.2015 and having received no communication from DoE again applied for recognition on 19.11.2018. In the meantime, it was noticed that an area of 798 sq. mtrs. had wrongly been mentioned in the lease deed instead of 800 sq. mtrs. The school kept writing to DDA to rectify this mistake in the lease deed on various occasions.
After hearing the submissions made by both the sides, the LG observed that except the perpetual lease deed wherein the area of land allotted to the society has been shown as 798 sq. m. all other documents issued by DDA mention a land area of 800 sq. m.