CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Monday did not accept a compliance affidavit filed by the commissioner-cum-secretary School and Mass Education (SME) department on a direction issued while hearing a PIL on serious inadequacies in the primary education sector in the state.
The division bench of Acting Chief Justice BR Sarangi and Justice MS Raman said, “On perusal of the affidavit, it is revealed that the compliance affidavit relates to U.P. Schools and High Schools and not to Primary Schools. Therefore, the compliance affidavit so filed does not align with the direction issued by this Court.”
“Hence, the affidavit is not taken note of and direction is issued to the Commissioner-cum-Secretary, School & Mass Education Department to give proper compliance affidavit so far as it relates to the Primary Schools based on the report submitted by learned Amicus Curiae within two weeks from today,” the bench directed. The High Court Legal Services Committee had registered the PIL in 2015.
According to case records, Amicus Curiae Prafulla Kumar Rath had submitted a report based on data collected on the availability of basic amenities during a visit to seven sample primary and upper primary schools in remote parts of Boudh on December 9, 2022.
Then, on February 28, 2023, the court observed that the need of the hour was to ensure basic facilities in the primary and upper primary schools on war footing so that the required classrooms, bench and desks etc., are provided to students by end of March.