Taking a strict view of reports that the management of Ryan International School had forced its teachers and students to take membership of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Delhi Government on Wednesday issued a show cause notice to the school. A separate probe into the alleged incident has also been launched.
The school, which has its branches all over the country where thousands of students are studying, has to respond to the notice within three days.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, stated in a series of tweets that the Deputy Director in the Education Department had been asked to conduct an inquiry into the incident and all schools in Delhi had been asked not to take up any activity that helps promote political parties.
It was reported that the school had withheld the payment of salaries to the staff till they achieved the membership targets. “If it is found to be true, the Delhi Government is not going to tolerate this unacceptable practice,” said the sources in the government.
The Education Department will shortly send an advisory to all schools in the Capital to desist from any kind of political activity and not to indulge in forcible membership to any political outfit.
Ryan International School, founded in 1976, has its campuses in Vasant Kunj, Mayur Vihar, Rohini, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad.
According to the sources, the Delhi Government has taken a serious view of the incident, while affirming its commitment to creating a positive academic environment in educational institutions. The government is clear in its view that the schools should not cross limits of decency and appropriate public behaviour and desist from polluting young minds for “petty political and monetary gains”.
The focus of the Education Department’s inquiry will be on whether the school authorities had asked the staff, including teachers and students, to take BJP membership. The school management had reportedly stated that the membership drive was voluntary.
