School Education Department blamed for keeping recognition files pending

Coimbatore schools closure: Associations say there was ‘inordinate delay’ in processing files

Even as the School Education Department is preparing to close down 86 schools in Coimbatore for lacking/ not renewing recognitions, associations representing private schools have blamed the officials for “inordinate delay” in processing the files relating to recognition.

R. Lakshmanasamy, president of Pollachi Private Schools’ Welfare Association, said that a significant amount of powers were decentralised and relegated to the district level officials of the Department of School Education with the objective of expediting the recognition process.

“However, officials continue to delay the processing of a sizable number of files pertaining to nursery and primary schools, even those that were submitted on time. All these contained the four mandatory Government certificates for stability, building license, health and sanitary certificates, besides No Objection Certificate from the Fire Safety and Rescue Department.”

Repeated queries

He claimed that repeated queries to the officials did not yield any satisfactory results.

Tamil Nadu Nursery, Primary, Matriculation and Higher Secondary Schools Welfare Association general secretary G. Krishnaraj accused the School Education Department officials of not accepting the recognition-related files citing “frivolous reasons.”

He also urged the State Government to put on hold the move to close schools till the recommendations of the expert committee on land requirements for private schools was made public. This would bring clarity to the schools so that they themselves can decide whether to continue functioning.

Refuting all these allegations, the School Education Department officials said that the only reason the recognition-related files might not have been accepted was because they might have been incomplete.

All Private Schools Welfare Association State president Maya Devi Shankar said that while they supported the move to close down schools that had not obtained recognition at all, those schools having recognition but unable to renew it solely because of the land issue must not be closed down now.

Panel report

“These schools must be given time till the land committee report is made known. Also, the Department must ensure schools lacking recognition did not admit students for the next academic year,” she added.