The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhi Govt. preparing to take over defaulting public schools

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi Govt. preparing to take over defaulting public schools

Staff Reporter

Education Department awaiting cancellation of land lease of 29 schools by DDA

NEW DELHI: The Education Department of the Delhi Government is all set to take over possession of four public schools whose lease deeds and recognition were cancelled by the Delhi Development Authority for violating the clause of providing free education to 20 per cent under-privileged students.

According to sources in the Delhi Government, a list of 33 public schools had been drawn up for failing to adhere to the minimum basic criteria of providing free-ship to poor students. This list has already been sent to DDA for further action at their end. Surprisingly, these public schools had failed to provide free-ship admission to even one per cent of poor students and had refused to comply with the directions of the Education Department and had gone to court on the issue. The court had granted stay to these schools making the Education Department as a party to the case.

However, the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament came down heavily on DDA for not adhering to the rules and regulations and questioned why action had not been taken against these schools. When it was pointed out that these schools had got a stay against the proceedings from the court, the PAC pointed out that the stay was against the Education Department and not DDA. Therefore, it asked the DDA to proceed against these schools and cancel their lease deed for violation of norms.

It is also understood that the Department had asked all the schools to file a compliance report for the present year by July 31 and a warning had been issued that if the schools failed to comply with the laid down norms then they would face strict action.

Sources in the Department informed that Bal Bharti Public School, Pitampura; Rukamani Devi Public School, CD-block Pitampura; Pinnacle School, D-block, Panchsheel Enclave; and Gyan Mandir, Naraina Vihar, had been served with show cause notices asking why their recognition should not be cancelled after their lease had been cancelled by DDA. "We are awaiting further word from DDA on the rest of 29 schools also which includes Birla Niketan School, Saket, and some other leading public schools. As soon as the lease deed cancellation process is initiated we will move to take over these," a senior Education Department official informed.

It is learnt that DDA had already set in motion the process for cancelling the lease deed of the 29 other public schools.

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