In a big relief to students, the State Government today issued a directive asking public as well as private schools not to debar any student from appearing in matriculation, intermediate of any other class examination for non-payment of fees.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren while holding the review meeting of Department of School Education and Literacy at the Project Bhavan on Monday issued the instruction that for the upcoming 10th, 12th or any class annual examination to be held next, the school management, whether run by Coal India, be it a government school or a private school, will not deprive any student from taking the exam due to lack of fees. The Chief Minister also directed the Education Department to implement the directive prominently.
The State Government directive will bring relief to such student,s who have not paid their fees and their examinations is to start soon. The matriculation and intermediate (XII) examination of Jharkhand Academic Council is to start from February 11.
As many as 3,87,021 students will take the class X exam across 940 centres while 2.38.363 students will appear for the class XII boards in 470 centres. Similarly, the Class X and XII examination being conducted by CBSE too is start on February 15.
Apart from Class X and XII examination, the final examination at different schools too is commencing either this week or next week.
Meanwhile, students have welcomed the decision of State Government.
A Class IX student of DAV Hehal requesting anonymity said, “The decision is going to benefit many students who have not paid their fees and their examination is to commence this week.”
Meanwhile at the review meeting which was attended by Chief Minister Soren and education minister Jagarnath Mahto it was also decided that department will look into the demands of para teachers. Mahto said, “The Govet will look into the demands of para teachers.
The teachers association and government officials will sit and discuss so that an amicable solution is reached.” Sources said that the para teacher’s body created much problem for Raghubar Das government when it was in power. Months before last year Assembly election, the state BJP headquarters at Harmu was virtually under siege, as over 1,500 para-teachers demanded the state government quit dilly-dallying on their pay hike and act on its earlier promise.
Jharkhand has around 67,000 para-teachers, considered to be the backbone of rural primary education, but paid a fraction of the salaries that government teachers get.
Mahto also said that the state government will also look problems created due merger of government schools and if needed it will withdraw earlier government decisions.
The Raghubar Das Government in 2018 had taken a decision to merge schools with low enrolment an exercise undertaken by Rajasthan and Jharkhand in the country with the support of the Union Government and NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog. In two phases the Jharkhand government merged 1200 and 4600 schools, but brakes were applied in third phase of merger of 6466 schools due to protest of opposition as well ruling parties.