Patna, March 2: From now, transfer certificates (TCs) would be mandatory for admission to government schools.

Giving reply after a three-hour debate on the budget of his department in the Assembly, education minister P.K. Shahi today re-introduced the TC norm for changing schools. The initiative is a measure to avoid “exaggerated enrolment” in government schools.

Later, the Assembly passed the budget of over Rs 1,544 crore for the financial year 2012-13 by voice vote even, as the Opposition staged a walkout in protest against the minister’s answer.

The state government drew sharp criticism when exaggerated figures of enrolment of students in government schools were detected earlier this year. It suggested that funds for government schemes like free mid-day meals, cycle and uniform were being siphoned off.

Shahi declared that the only irregularity he had detected was that some students had taken benefits twice or thrice by taking admissions in different schools.

“The Opposition (RJD) wants the children to be sent to jail and their parents be made co-conspirators. We will not do it,” he said, stressing that the irregularity had occurred because the norm of TC for changing schools was done away with during the RJD regime.

The education minister took several digs at the RJD and the Congress for indulging in politics over establishing a campus of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Kishanganj. “Even after giving land for the institute and signing an MoU with AMU officials, there is no move to begin the construction of AMU,” Shahi said, stressing that the Opposition had attempted to give a wrong impression that the state government was against the AMU campus in Kishanganj.

Earlier, initiating the debate, Akharul Imam of the RJD criticised the Nitish government for its failure in education. He said the question papers of Teachers’ Eligibility Test had been leaked.

Around 16 MLAs took part in the debate.

MLA suspended

The Assembly today suspended Independent MLA Jyoti Rashmi from participating in the proceedings of the House till March 13. A resolution to this effect was moved by parliamentary affairs minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav and adopted by voice vote.

The Independent MLA had been sitting in the Well of the House for the past three days. Her husband and former MLA Pradeep Joshi has been made an accused in the attack on the police force in Rohtas by illegal mining operators. She has been demanding a CBI probe into matter.

Just before the Assembly was winding up its pre-lunch sitting, Speaker Uday Narain Choudhary asked Rashmi to take her seat. As the MLA from Dehri-on-Sone remained defiant and kept sitting in the Well, the Speaker asked the parliamentary minister to move the resolution seeking her suspension till March 13.