Even as there was a diktat from the PMO and the HRD Ministry for the schools and child institutions to participate in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Teachers’ Day interaction with students, the Director of the National Bal Bhawan (NBB) chose to fly to her Chennai home for her usual weekend trip at around the same time.
NBB Director Usha Kumari MC left the Bal Bhawan premises at around 1.30 pm and was flying when the Prime Minister was interacting with the students from across the country including Bal Bhawan.
According to HRD Secretary (School Education) Rajashri Bhattacharya’s directives, all the schools and child institution heads should have ensured their presence to monitor and then give a feedback of the first- ever such initiative in the country where the PM desired to interact. The entire top brass of the HRD Ministry and officials of its nodal departments were present at the Manekshaw Centre where the Teachers’ Day function was organised.
A top HRD ministry official said that the programme was conducted and monitored by the Department of School Education and literacy (HRD Ministry) and National Bal Bhawan falls within its purview.
last-minute technical glitches in the set-up prevented the children and teachers, who had gathered in the Open Air Theatre of Kotla Road-located Bal Bhawan, from listening a better part of Modi’s speech. Absence of the head of the institution only compounded woes. Finally, the television in the reception lobby was used, and the last half hour of the porgramme could be watched by them.
The National Bal Bhavan is an autonomous body under the HRD Ministry and is the single institution which aims at enhancing the creative potential of children for age group 5-16 years by providing them various activities, opportunities and common platform to interact, experiment, create and perform according to their age, aptitude and ability.
When contacted over phone, Kumari told The Pioneer that the Prime Minister’s interaction was not related to Bal Bhawan and it was meant only for schools. When asked about her whereabouts, Kumari said: “It is none of your business.” She insisted she was very much in Delhi. Her claim, however, was exposed by her own office which revealed that the Director made all the arrangements and then left for the day as she had to fly to her home in Chennai.
On a day when Modi himself praised the media for bringing several heart-rending stories from school-going children throughout the day, Kumari sarcastically asked this correspondent: “Has the HRD ministry asked the media to take attendance of principals and directorsIJ There are hundreds of schools in Delhi, go and focus on them.”
Kumari was handpicked by former HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju, who ignored his ministry’s search-cum-selection committee recommendations in favour of one Rishi Kumar Vashisht, currently Deputy Director of the Centre for Cultural Resource and Training (CCRT). HRD Ministry is already looking into Kumari’s appointment done by violating rules and regulations. Raju chose Kumari, who was then principal of Navodaya Vidyalaya.