HYDERABAD: As many as 12 deputy education officers or deputy inspection education officers have seen served notices seeking explanation on why action should not be initiated against them for issuing fake Extension of Temporary Recognition (ETR) to the schools. The move comes after several private schools with dubious credentials managed to get clearances from the district education officer (DEO) and regional joint director of school education (RJDSE).
The head masters of government schools, who also hold additional charge as full-time DyEO/DyIEDO, have refuted the allegation and claim that they are being made scapegoats. The Telangana State Gazetted Head Masters Association (TSGHMA) has, in fact, alleged irregularities in the issuance of the ETR to private schools, at the higher level.
Laxman Singh, one of the head masters to have received the notice said that despite sending a negative report to the DEO/RJDSE about a private school, Krishnaveni High School at Saidabad, which had a liquor shop within its 100 meters radius -- it still got a go ahead from the officials. "I had categorically stated that there was a wine shop in close proximity to the school, in violation of the rules. But the school got ETR and I got a notice," he rued.
Members of the TSGHMA claim that the issue of fake ETR has gained limelight only since this January, even though it has been a persistent problem for years now. According to rules, new and existing schools need to get necessary approvals from authorities concerned before being granted an ETR. This includes approvals for the building, playground, sanitation, fire safety NOC, strength of students, qualification of staff, among the other clearances and documentations. This is followed by an inspection after which a detailed report is sent to the DEO/RJDSE. After approval, the proposal comes back to the head masters who then communicate it to the school management.
However, head masters allege major procedural lapses in the process. They say that DEO/RJDSE don't revert the report and directly send the ETR to the schools. "As a result, most of the time, we as field officers don't even know which schools got the ETR and which didn't," says V Venugopala Chary. He added that after the issue came to light, the RJDSE did not issue an official communication to them. "The structure of DyEO/DyIEDO has collapsed. The pre-primary ERTs are issued directly by the the DEOs office but over the years not a single copy has been extended to the field officers," added Chary.
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