Discontented with the response of the private schools to the Right to Education (RTE) Act guidelines the education department is mulling strict action on schools. Reacting to complaints of schools flouting (RTE) norms, the District superintendent of education (DSE) has served a showcause notice to Delhi Public School and little Angles’ School, on Friday. The schools have been told to reply to the showcause notice immediately.
The DSE said that both the schools have been asked to reply why the parents’ are compelled to take package of books from the bookstores recommended by the schools. Earlier, the Ranchi Abhivak Manch had approached the DSE on March 6 to report such monopoly cases and gave him a memorandum in which fee hike, monopoly on book, parents’ complaints, RTE implementation, below poverty line children in schools and books availability on all bookstores were highlighted.
Ajay Rai from Abhivavak Manch said, “later a reminder was again given on March 18 but no strict action has been taken yet. We have also attached letters given by other districts DSE’s to the private schools of their areas as examples.”
As soon as the Civic poll gets over the Abhivavak Manch will meet State HRD Principal Secretary, D.K Tiwari on April 9 and discuss the prevailing scenario. Schools like Bishop Westcott, loreto Convent, St. Thomas School, St. Anthony School, JVM Shyamali and DAV Schools which are continuously peeving parents further may come into the scanning of Jharkhand Educational Tribunal (JET).
District Educational Officer (DEO) Mahip Kumar said, “When we contacted the schools, they clearly said that they had given the book lists to the parents and told them to arrange books by their own. But behind the scene things are different. Now we are investigating the complaints. If complaints were found genuine then strict actions would be taken against the schools.”