Education dept slammed for no action on unrecognised schools

Justice N Kirubakaran, while dealing with a plea of a school challenging its rejection of approval and that it had been functioning without approval since 2009, said, “The above stated affairs of the school would only exhibit the lethargic and negligent attitude of the educational officers. When the recognition was not renewed from December 23, 2009, onwards, the educational authorities should have verified as to whether the school is being run without approval and if it is found to be run without approval, the authorities should have passed an order prohibiting the school from being run.” 

Observing that nothing has been done for the past six years and the school is being run merrily without any hindrance from the officials for reasons best known, Justice Kirubakaran said, “This court feels that it is only a tip of an iceberg and many more schools are being run in the State without approval and no steps are taken by the educational authorities to close down the unapproved schools.” 

The Judge, while referring to the Right of Children for Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, that no school could be established without obtaining certificate of recognition in his order, said, “When such is the mandate of the Act, the educational authorities should have verified whether all the existing schools have got approval or not? But no such verification was done and if really the educational authorities have inspected all the schools, this kind of situation would not have arisen and the future of the students would have been secure.”

Also, suo motu impleading Secretary, School Education Department, as respondent, the judge on posing as many as 18 questions, including the number of such unapproved schools functioning in the State as of now and the number of students studying in such schools, directed him to answer the questions by August 30.