Superintendent of education Vinit Kumar has written to all 246 private schools of Bokaro, seeking detaile information, including copies of internal audit reports, in a bid to monitor their functioning vis-à-vis adherence to provisions of the Right to Education Act (RTE).

The letter, sent last week, was written on the instructions of Bokaro deputy commissioner Uma Shankar Singh, who had been alerted about a number of complaints against private schools of the town by none other than state HRD minister Gitashree Oraon.

The district education office has sought a number of details from schools namely, information on fees that were being charged under various heads, ranging from admission and development to re-admission and transportation.

This apart the district authorities have also sought details on the number of BPL students who had been granted admission; special facilities, if any, that were being provided to them; teaching methods; the kind of penalties imposed or punishment meted out to erring students; school bus facilities etc.

Most important, the district education office has also sought from schools copies of internal audit reports of the past three years to understand the nature of their finances and whether enough resources were being pumped in to improve quality of education.

“I see no reason why schools should not give us the details,” said deputy commissioner Singh. “We seek the cooperation of all schools in the interest of maintaining transparency,” he said, adding that June 25 was the deadline for receiving the information.

Singh said he had asked a magistrate to keep track of the information coming in from schools, failing which action would be taken.

The deputy commissioner explained that the notice was sent in the wake of a number of complaints his office had received from parents on the adhoc functioning of a number of private schools in the steel town.

Besides, the minister’s letter, he admitted, also prompted the local administration to act fast.