Why over 2,800 schools in Haryana likely to face penalties from Edu Dept

Disgruntled with over 2,800 recognised private schools in the state that didn’t comply with the directions of the Directorate of Elementary Education regarding implementation of Right to Education (RTE) Act, the department is set to impose penalties ranging from Rs 5,000 to 1 lakh on those schools. The directorate has directed the Education Department officials to send the details of the schools with recommendations for further action.

Why is the RTE important for the Education Department?

The RTE Act provides admission to students belonging to economically weaker sections and disadvantaged groups in private recognised schools in the state. Under the RTE, 25 per cent seats are reserved in the first or entry-level classes for the children from these categories.

n What is the reason behind the dispute between the schools and the Education Department?

While the new academic session started in April, the children who wanted admissions in the recognised private schools under the RTE Act had to wait till July for the completion of the admission process. The delays on the part of the department in obtaining data related to seats, and on the part of the private schools in declaring the seats led to the series of objections and repeated extension of deadlines for admissions and updation of admission tracking portal. As many 10,744 recognised private schools were told to declare their seats under the RTE this year and despite repeated warnings a number of schools failed to declare their seats.

What were the directions issued to the DEEOs?

In a letter issued, the directorate directed the District Elementary Education Officers (DEEOs) to send information regarding the 1,680 recognised private schools that had not declared their seats in the state. Directions were also issued regarding another 1,128 recognised private schools that were rejected by the DEEOs on recognition and other grounds for allotment of seats. The officials have been told to send their reports by October 23. Besides these, the directorate has also asked the officials to obtain and send the details of recognised and unrecognised schools with their respective MIS codes that have been lying closed.

How much penalty will be imposed on the schools?

The penalty will be imposed on the basis of the monthly fee being charged by the private schools. In case of schools that didn’t declare seats, a penalty of Rs 30,000 will be imposed on schools charging fee up to Rs 1,000 per month, and Rs 70,000 and Rs 1 lakh on the schools charging fees up to Rs 3,000 per month and up to Rs 6,000 per month, respectively. The schools charging above Rs 6,000 will be given a personal hearing by the Director-General. In case of the schools that were rejected, a fine of Rs 5,000 will be imposed on the schools charging up to Rs 1,000 per month, and Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 on the schools charging fees up to Rs 2,000 per month and up to Rs 3,000 per month, respectively. The schools charging up to Rs 5,000 will be given a personal hearing by the Director-General.

What do the private associations say about the decision?

National Independent Schools Alliance, one of the associations, seeks relaxation for the schools that failed to upload their data due to the issues related to the portal of the department and miscommunication. The association has no objection to the action being taken against schools that didn’t declare their seats despite repeated directions by the department. The association also demand action against officials for delay in starting the admission process, and delay in releasing the dues of previous years under the RTE.

Haryana Tribune