E-Paper
Lucknow: Centennial students back to school after dist admin intervention
FIR lodged against 12 people for taking unauthorised possession of the school and action will be taken against them by registering a case under the Gangsters Act, said DM Surya Pal Gangwar
A day after students of government-aided Centennial Inter College here attended their classes outside the school gate following some dispute over the school building, district magistrate (DM) Surya Pal Gangwar and senior officials of education department reached there and resolved the issue on Friday.
“The classrooms have been reopened and the students attended their classes there. The school management was told not to create any inconvenience for students. The district administration is here to protect the interest of the students,” the district magistrate said.
Lucknow DM Surya Pal Gangwar, along with district inspector of school (DIoS) Rakesh Kumar Pandey, reached the school around 9am and stayed there for nearly five hours. But before the officials arrived, there was a ruckus outside the school on Friday morning. Despite the DM’s orders, students and teachers were not allowed entry to the school.
After much struggle, principal Rajiv David Dayal managed to enter with some of his students but rest could not get entry. This led to commotion. Soon DM Surya Pal Gangwar, DIoS Rakesh Kumar Pandey and BSA Vijay Pratap Singh reached the school to resolve the dispute.
A prayer meeting was held in the presence of the officials. Later, students were made to sit in the classrooms of the main building. The DM said strict action was being taken against those operating Methodist Church School by illegally occupying the Centennial School. He handed over the possession of the building back to Centennial School after freeing it from the private school.
He said those running the private school were not found on the spot. As per the DM, a First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged against 12 people for taking unauthorised possession of the school. He said action will be taken against them by registering a case under the Gangsters Act.
The DM instructed that entry of unauthorised people to the school should be completely banned. Identity cards should be issued to all students and staff by the school management. “No one will be allowed to enter the school premises without an ID card. If the above instructions are disobeyed, strict action will be taken against the school management,” the DM said. He further said there should be no adverse effect on the studies of children.
The Centennial Inter College was being operated for the last 139 years. This is a government-aided school. Overnight this school was replaced by a private school that managed to get recognition from basic education department. Now it is being probed as to whose behest this recognition has been given.
District basic education officer Vijay Pratap Singh has sent a letter to the management of the school asking it to clarify its stand within a week. He said Methodist Church tried to hide a number of facts that led the basic education department giving affiliation to the private school. At present, the process of abolishing the recognition of private schools has been started by the department.
On Thursday, nearly 500 students of government-aided Centennial Inter College here were forced to attend their classes outside the school gate after their teachers and they were denied entry to the school premises.
