Bhubaneswar, April 28: The school and mass education (SME) department has asked all schools, except those established and controlled by the state government or local authorities, to apply for “recognition” under the state government. A notification to this effect was circulated today.
All concerned schools have been urged to apply to their respective district inspectors of education for obtaining certificates of recognition before July 30.
This is imperative as per the standards laid down in the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2010, which came into force last September in the state. Schools would be asked to furnish all proofs relating to their expenditure and steps taken to improve their standards. If they fail to comply with the condition, the recognition granted to them would be withdrawn and action initiated against them by the department.
“As per the norms laid down in the RTE, we need to have certain standards which schools, whether recognised or not, are bound to follow. This would enhance the accountability and credibility of these institutions. In many cases, we have found that many private persons have opened schools but are not giving any stress on the quality of education. We would take necessary steps if the schools do not comply with our directions,” said SME secretary, Aparajita Sarangi.
Sources at the department said once the declaration form is submitted by the schools, it would be scrutinised by an expert team.
The team would suggest whether recognition would be accorded to the schools or not. The department would also ask those running the private aided or unaided schools to recruit the best teachers and offer them good salaries.
As per official statistics, more than 54 lakh students are enrolled in over 53,000 primary and upper primary schools in the state, which run classes from I to VII.
This excludes schools in the private sector, and non-formal schools run by village education committees and NGOs.
“All the missing children are being identified and several strategies are being adopted in various areas to bring them into the education fold. The village education committees have been empowered and it will be their responsibility to identify such children and get them to school,” said a source.
