DPS faces PMC action for RTE non-compliance
This is the first such move this year following confusion over admission under RTE.
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DPS
Education department officials of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) have recommended cancelling the NOC to Mohammadwadi’s Delhi Public School for alleged violation of RTE norms. This is the first such move this year following confusion over admission under RTE. Confirming that such an action has been recommended through a proposal sent to the primary education officer of the Zilla Parishad, Baban Dahiphale, administrative (education) officer of PMC said the main grounds for the recommendation is the school’s refusal to grant admissions under the 25 percent seats reserved for economically weaker sections.
“In April, we sent notices to many city schools asking why NOC should not be cancelled if they refused RTE admissions. After that, we intimated this school through letters, reminders, notices and even the deputy director of education paid a visit. Despite this, the school gave admissions only to 8 children in Class I and said they couldn’t admit others as by road the distance from home was more than 1 km. We gave them the resolution that mentioned aerial distance is to be counted and yet they kept denying it. After repeated reminders when they failed to give admissions, we formed a three-member panel which went to the school on August 1,” said Dahiphale.
The letter to ZP states that committee officials who visited the school were given vague answers. They were told school officials cannot understand Marathi and official notifications were in Marathi, they do not know the website of the education department, schools management hasn’t yet conveyed a decision on RTE admissions, and the matter was sub-judice. “The officials gave them a final deadline of one more day to start RTE admissions but since compliance hasn’t happened, we had no choice but move for further action,” he said.
The deputy administrative officer of PMC who had gone to visit the school told Pune Newsline that eight students were admitted to the first standard, but six students were not given admission. In the nursery, 34 students were allotted seats but no one was admitted. “This isn’t the only grievance. Going by the RTE Act, all private unaided schools had to fill a self declaration-cum-application for grant of recognition of school and renew it each year. But the school failed to submit it and hence there is no question of renewal,” added Dahiphale.
The letter signed by him and sent to primary education officer of ZP states that since Maharashtra RTE Act under Section 11 empowers the education officer (primary) of ZP to take action like cancelling NOC, the committee is sending its recommendations to take action as the school has violated RTE norms.
Despite repeated phone calls and messages, principal Neelam Chakrabarty didn’t respond.
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