Gurugram’s unrecognised private schools demand FIR withdrawal

Department of education had conducted a drive against unrecognised schools in the district and filed complaints against more than 200 schools.

On Thursday morning, hundreds of teachers and educators from unrecognised private schools in the district took out a march from Gaushala ground on Old Delhi Road to Mini Secretariat—the administrative headquarter—to protest against the police complaints filed by the district department of education against these schools earlier this week.

On Thursday morning, hundreds of teachers and educators from unrecognised private schools in the district took out a march from Gaushala ground on Old Delhi Road to Mini Secretariat—the administrative headquarter—to protest against the police complaints filed by the district department of education against these schools earlier this week.(AP Photo (Representational))

On Monday, the department of education had conducted a drive against unrecognised schools in the district and filed complaints against more than 200 schools. The action came months after the department of school education released, in March, a list of 1,083 schools across the state that did not have recognition. Of these, 92 schools were in Gurugram district.

A show-cause notice was issued to these schools, and they were given time to fulfil the norms required for recognition, failing which the schools would be required to cease operations from the new academic session in April. The schools, however, reopened in the new session as well.

The march was organised a day before the court hearing in the Ranjan Lakhanpal versus State of Haryana case where the fate of unrecognised private schools in the state is likely to be decided.

The protesting teachers, lead by Yashpal Yadav, state president of the Haryana Shikshan Sansthan Sangathan—a union of private schools in the state—handed over a memorandum outlining their concerns and demands to the deputy commissioner. “Our agitation today was successful. Around 5,000-6,000 teachers and educators took part in the march and gathered at the Mini Secretariat. We submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner outlining our concerns against the arbitrary action taken by the education department. He listened to our grievances,” Yadav said.

Yadav claimed that the protesting teachers were assured no new FIRs would be filed against schools and the FIRs that have already been filed would be withdrawn.

Deputy commissioner Amit Khatri said that he had received a memorandum from the teachers, but he denied giving any assurance of the kind. “Our interaction was limited to accepting the letter outlining the concerns of the educators that had gathered,” Khatri said.