The Directorate of Private Schools has served show cause notice to 20 nursery and primary schools Ariyalur, for failing to run the schools without obtaining the certificate of recognition.
Several other schools across State have also been issued such notices, according to sources.
The notices were sent as per the Section 18(1) of the Right of Children Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, which prohibits the establishment or functioning of schools without obtaining renewal recognition certificates from the competent authority. A show cause notice served to a private school in Ariyalur reads that the school is directed to show cause as to why action under section 18 (5) of the Right to Education Act should not be initiated against the school and a fine of Rs.1 lakh should not be initiated against the school for running it without obtaining the certificate of recognition.
The notice, sent by District Educational Officer, Private Schools, further adds that reply should be sent within a week from the date of the receipt of the notice, failing which necessary orders will be passed as per the law.
According to sources, the schools are supposed to get the certificate of recognition once in three years and renewal once a year. Twenty schools in Ariyalur district were served show cause notice for running without recognition or renewal.
However, the issuance of show cause notices has evoked strong criticism from the schools and the associations. The managements are of the view that it is unfair to send notices when applications have been kept pending for many months without any action.
“We are prompt in submitting well in advance with the production of building stability certificate, no objection certificate from the Fire and Rescue Service Department and others. But the application submitted through online remains pending for more than a year. How could the officials send show cause notice when no action was taken on the application. The current exercise is nothing but to tax the schools illegally,” said a correspondent of a school on condition of unanimity.
When contacted a senior official of the District Educational Office in Ariyalur told The Hindu that about 20 schools were found to be admitting students without the renewal of recognition. All of them were served show cause notices. Some of them had responded to the notices. Some schools had not submitted necessary certificates along with the applications. They were asked to submit all mandatory certificates.
Stating that several schools had been served with show cause notices, K.R. Nandakumar, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Nursery Primary Matriculation, Higher Secondary and CBSE Schools Association, told The Hindu that the Directorate of Private Schools was supposed to issue the certificate of recognition well before admitting students.
But most schools received recognition or renewal only after the end of the academic year. The schools had to dole out huge sums at several stages, in addition to statutory fees. Applications of a large number of schools in the State, which were submitted many months ago for recognition and renewal, had still been still pending at various levels. In stead of taking action on them, several schools were served notices. It was condemnable.
The members of the association would stage a protest in Chennai on June 6 demanding the State government to issue recognition certificates to all schools immediately.
