Delhi govt issues show-cause notice to Venkateshwar Global School over alleged violations
The Delhi government has issued a show-cause notice to the management of private Global School in Rohini over alleged financial irregularities, safety lapses and violations of statutory norms, officials said on Monday.
The Directorate of Education (DoE) issued the notice to Venkateshwar Global School after a joint surprise inspection carried out by senior officials from the education department, the revenue department and other Delhi government departments.
Sating the school's initial response to the inspection findings was found to be "evasive" and "unsatisfactory", the DoE asked the school to explain why its management should not be taken over by the Administrator of Delhi.
In its notice, the DoE alleged several violations, including obstruction of officials during the inspection, refusal to provide statutory documents and denial of access for officials to interact privately with students.
It also alleged serious fire and safety deficiencies, including the absence of a valid fire safety certificate, expired fire extinguishers, hazardous chemicals left unattended in the chemistry laboratory and expired first-aid supplies.
The notice further alleged that the school had converted the basement parking areas into 18 academic rooms, including classrooms, laboratories and activity rooms, besides using the space as a CBSE examination centre without authorisation.
It also cited alleged financial irregularities, claiming that despite reporting cumulative losses of more than Rs 15.6 crore, the school made high-value payments to unverified firms, used development reserve funds to purchase mobile phones worth Rs 22.23 lakh and repaid unsecured loans amounting to Rs 3.25 crore without verification.
The department further alleged that the school was operating a commercial swimming pool accessible to outsiders without the required fire safety clearances and running an unauthorised commercial kitchen on its rooftop.
The notice also accused the school of imposing an unauthorised 15 per cent fee hike and collecting advance and capitation fees amounting to nearly Rs 1.98 crore as of March 31, 2025.
Among other findings, the DoE alleged that nearly half of the school’s teaching staff were employed on a contractual basis in violation of recruitment rules and that students were being provided inadequate sports facilities, poorly maintained library infrastructure, unhygienic washrooms, salty drinking water and inadequate accessibility for children with special needs.
Education Minister Ashish Sood said schools should function as institutions of learning and not as commercial establishments.
"Strict action will be taken against managements that defy laws and exploit students or parents. Financial irregularities, commercial misuse of premises and compromising student safety will not be tolerated," he said.
The notice has been issued under various provisions of the Delhi School Education Act and Rules, 1973, including Section 20, which empowers the Administrator to take over the management of a school in certain circumstances, and Section 24, which provides for action against schools that fail to comply with official directions.
