‘Malout violence linked to decision on political nominee in school managing committee’

Taking a serious note of the firing incident reported outside a Government Primary School in Malout during the formation of a School Managing Committee, the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) has once again raised the alarm against political interference in the functioning of school managing committees in Punjab. A routine matter of electing members of the committee, which also has members nominated by teachers, parents and the local panchayat, turned violent and the DTF blamed it on the new ruling by the AAP government in state that allows nomination by a local elected political leader (whether MLA or Sarpanch).

Vikramdev Singh, state president of DTF, said that this ruling is in violation of the Right to Education Act, 2009. “We had raised our voice against such interference by the Punjab government and expressed apprehensions that such political interference in schools would have a negative impact on the educational environment. The incidents that took place during the formation of managing committees of government schools in Talwara, Hoshiarpur, and today in Malout, are an example where two political sides clashed over the nomination of members in school managing committees, leading to shots being fired. How is this creating a safe atmosphere in schools,” he asked.

The DTF leaders said that the State Education Department has issued a notification in violation of the Right to Education Act, according to which a person from outside the village can also become a member of the School Managing Committee, if nominated by a local elected member. In the past, parents, an elected member of panchayat and an education expert, including teachers from school, elected by the students, could become a member of the committee.

“But according to the new provision, instead of the panchayat member, an elected representative of the area or his nominee has been allowed to join the committee. They have nothing to do with education. This is what is causing a clash during the nomination process,” said Ashwani Awasthi, DTF district head, Amritsar.

The leaders warned that these members with a political background would further spoil the atmosphere of government schools in Punjab in times to come. The DTF held the Punjab Education Minister responsible for spoiling the atmosphere in schools and demanded the withdrawal of written and verbal orders allowing such political interference.

Amritsar