Notice over Ulhasnagar students’ poor reading skills

The show cause notice and warnings were issued after the municipal commissioner carried out a surprise inspection

Thane: Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) commissioner Manisha Awhale has issued a show cause notice to one teacher and warnings to all teachers of three municipal schools, saying action would be taken against them if the quality of education did not improve in the coming months.

HTUlhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) commissioner Manisha Awhale visited municipal school numbers eight, 23 and 29 on Thursday.

The show cause notice and warnings were issued after Awhale carried out a surprise inspection at municipal school numbers eight, 23 and 29 on Thursday, as part of her efforts to advance the corporation’s model schools initiative.

During her visit, Awhale assessed the physical infrastructure of the schools, the academic progress of students, and the effectiveness of the administration, said officials. The inspection team included assistant commissioner Mayuri Kadam, administrative officer Kunda Pandit, construction engineer Deepak Dhole, electrical engineer Hanumant Kharat and other officials.

“During the reading skills test at school number eight, some students encountered major difficulties. This prompted the municipal commissioner to issue a show cause notice to the teacher in-charge,” an official told Hindustan Times.

A long-standing unauthorised stall near the premises of school number eight was obstructing the learning environment, it was found during the inspection. The stall was razed by Thursday evening, following the commissioner’s directions.

Awhale expressed concern about pending construction and repair work at all three schools and instructed the concerned engineers to finish the work urgently and ensure that necessary facilities were made available to students.

“There will be no compromise on the quality of education in municipal schools,” said Awhale. Students deserved high-quality education, and it was the responsibility of both teachers and the administration to ensure this, she noted.

“Teachers failing to improve quality will face unavoidable consequences. Unauthorised constructions and obstacles on school premises will not be tolerated. Further surprise inspections will be carried out and stringent steps will be taken for necessary improvements,” the commissioner said.

Ulhasnagar residents welcomed the surprise checks, saying they would help improve school infrastructure and educational standards.

“This proactive approach by the commissioner was much needed. It will not only hold schools accountable but also ensure that the quality of education improves,” said Ulhasnagar resident and social activist Rajesh Sidhwani.