Blame Game has started in the Gujarat education department over lack of records and checks of schools, following the revelation that four top schools in Rajkot faked CBSE affiliation.
Primary education director M I Joshi, whose office issues NOCs to private schools, claimed that the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) maintains the list of the schools. But SSA state project director Mahesh Singh put the onus on Joshi.
“It is the SSA’s job to maintain records of schools issued NOC not this office. Once we issue NOCs, the schools do not report back to us on the status of their affiliation from CBSE or any other board that whether they have received it or not. So the record cannot be maintained,” said Joshi.
But Singh, who is ex-officio commissioner of primary education as well, said, “All these issues are handled by the director’s office since it issues the NOCs to private schools. SSA does not maintain such a record.”
The department has failed to maintain records of schools that have been issued NOCs. It has now directed district education and district primary education officers to conduct survey of schools and submit a report within a week. This comes after the controversy over unaffiliated Rajkot schools came to fore. Inspections have been conducted in Rajkot and Ahmedabad.
The education department issued directives to schools on December 9 to put a copy of registration or affiliation along with classes being run on notice boards. It has been made mandatory for schools to place a hoarding bearing their names and affiliations.
The CBSE provides provisional, regular and permanent affiliations depending upon the management that runs a school and fulfilling of required conditions. A school seeking provisional affiliation must have prior recognition from state government. The state government should either forward a school’s application or give NOC for CBSE affiliation.
A separate report is expected to be submitted to Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama next week. “We had a detailed discussion on this issue during department’s review meeting on Friday,’’ said Chudasama. “All those schools without NOCs and affiliation have to suffer… we will ensure that in no way students have to suffer. It is schools management fault and students are not to be blamed.’’
[Source:-The Indian Express]
