NEW DELHI: A seven-member committee formed by the Directorate of Education (DoE) to ease the process of recognising private-unaided schools in Delhi hasn’t taken any decision on the matter as yet, reveal two RTIs.
The committee was constituted in June 2017 to “identify the problems and prepare guidelines to simplify the process/procedure for grant of Essentiality Certificate/Scheme of Management /Recognition/ Up-gradation to Private Unaided Schools in Delhi.”
The committee’s decision is vital as in February 2018, the Delhi Government had ordered private schools functioning without DoE recognition to discontinue all educational activities from the next academic session beginning from April 1, 2018.
In a response to two RTIs filed separately by Chandrakant Singh and Gaurav Tyagi, General Secretary and Joint Secretary, respectively, Private Land Public Schools Association, inquiring about the committee’s decision, the DoE replied with “no such recommendations were submitted till date.”
The purpose of the committee was also to “examine the provision of Delhi School Education Act & Rules, 1973, RTE Act 2009 and the suggestions received from school management/societies/trusts running Private Unaided Schools in Delhi.”
“The committee was constituted to simplify the existing procedure, not to amend the Act. The committee is still in existence and examining the provision. Probably in a month or two, it may finalise a decision and announce it,” said a spokesperson from the DoE.
Singh and Tyagi argue that in the wake of closure threats issued by the Delhi government to unrecognised schools in the city, where lakhs of students are studying, the committee’s say in the decision-making process could save thousands of schools from closing before the start of the new academic session.
Chandrakant Singh, had also sent a letter to Delhi Education Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia requesting him not to close any of the unrecognised schools until a decision was taken by the committee.
The request was then forwarded by Sisodia’s office to the DoE, asking Director Saumya Gupta to “look into the matter for taking appropriate action”. “No one has the right to put the future of lakhs of students at stake,” said Singh.