NEW DELHI: Only 203 out of 1,027 government schools in the national capital have a headmaster or principal, the apex child rights body NCPCR said on Tuesday. The panel also sought an explanation from the government for the high vacancy in the important posts.
In a letter to Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) said its team led by its chairperson visited a number of schools in Delhi and found discrepancies with respect to infrastructure and other aspects.
It also came to the commission’s notice that in most of the schools visited by the team, the post of head of school (HoS) was found to be vacant. The NCPCR said there are a total of 1,027 schools under the state Department of Education, out of which only 203 schools have headmaster/acting headmaster/ principal.
NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo noted that the head of school has an important role to play in ensuring that schools have a positive learning environment and a caring and inclusive culture. The absence of school principal or headmasters will also have implications for safety and security of children studying in such schools, the NCPCR chief said.
“Further, as per the Schedule given in RTE Act, 2009 outlining the norms for schools, for classes VI to VIII, where admission of children is above one hundred, there shall be a full-time head-teacher in the school,” the NCPCR stated.
In another letter to the chief secretary, the NCPCR chairperson said BJP senior leader and MP Manoj Tiwari had visited Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Sabzi Mandi, Timarpur, Delhi, and found major issues related to the hygiene and structure of the building which may lead some serious accident.
203 out of 1,027 schools under the Department of Education have headmaster/acting headmaster/ principal, says NCPCR