The First Bench of the Madras High Court, on Monday, directed the Directorate of Matriculation Schools to publish the list of recognised and unrecognised matriculation schools in its website. The First Bench, comprising the Acting Chief Justice R.K. Agrawal and Justice N. Paul Vasanthakumar, made the direction while passing interim orders on a public interest litigation petition. The petitioner, R. Venkatachalam, said he was an RTI activist. In the petition, he said he was questioning the failure of the authorities, which included the School Education Secretary, in discharging the public duty in respect of about 3000 students studying in Don Bosco Matriculation School, MKB Nagar, Vyasarpadi. The school had classes from kindergarten to Standard X. It was functioning as an unrecognised matriculation school since June 1, 2011 in an unapproved building.
Initially, the Directorate of Matriculation Schools had granted temporary recognition for the school, from June 1, 2002 to August 16, 2004. It was periodically renewed with retrospective effect.
From June 1, 2011, the institution had been functioning without recognition. He sought a direction to the authorities to forbear the Correspondent from running the school any longer. He also said the Director of Matriculation Schools should be directed to publish the names and addresses of all unrecognised matriculation schools functioning in Tamil Nadu.
It was the school’s case that it was granted recognition up to August 31, 2011. Thereafter it submitted an application for renewal of recognition, which was pending with the department. The Government Pleader produced a list of recognised and unrecognised schools. The petitioner’s counsel submitted that the list may be published in the official website.
